Superb West Country Art on Sale at Cotswolds Antiques Fair

A painting of a forgotten fountain that once stood in the centre of Bath’s busy Stall Street will be among a collection of West Country paintings going on sale at The Cotswolds
Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair at Westonbirt School, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, from 1 – 3 November 2024. The watercolour painting, by George Holloway (1882 – 1977), depicts the stone fountain designed by Signor Stefano Vallerio Pieroni, an Italian sculptor who lived in Bath from 1848 until his death in 1900. The fountain in the picture was originally crowned with a statue of King Bladud, the legendary Celtic founder of Bath. That statue is now in Parade Gardens while the fountain is topped by an urn, as depicted in Holloway’s painting, perhaps a more appropriate sculptural addition to its Roman surroundings. Today, the fountain stands on Terrace Walk.

Fountain in Bath by George Holloway,
31.5 x 23.5cms, watercolour, on sale
for £395 from Rastall Art.

George Holloway worked for BBC Radio in Bristol and was a member of the noted ‘Bristol Savages’ group of artists. His paintings of Bristol, Bath and the surrounding villages often feature buildings with a distinct 1960’s feel. This picture will be on sale for £395 from Rastall Art from Cheltenham for £395.

Rastall Art will also be featuring a local Cotswolds view of The Mill at Lower Slaughter (right) by the highly collectable Fred Yates (1922–2008). This unusual oil painting was probably done for the tiny Guiting Power Art Festival in the early 1970’s. It will be on sale at the fair for £3,950. Simon Rastall describes it ‘a good strong example of the British naive artist’s early work’.

The Mill at Lower Slaughter by Fred
Yates, from Rastall Art. £3,950.

More West Country paintings will be on sale from Derek Newman of Newman Fine Art, also a Cotswolds-based gallery. These will include Bristolian artist Samuel Jackson’s historic view of ‘The Avon at Hotwells, Bristol’, a glorious view painted before the arrival of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in 1833.

The Avon at Hotwells, Bristol, by Samuel Jackson
(1794-1869). From Newman Fine Art.
Price: £1,450.

Also on offer will be Arthur Wilde Parsons’s depiction of ‘Minehead Harbour’, John White’s ‘Allsford, Porlock’ and a superb example of Cornwall painter Ralph Todd’s work titled ‘Unloading the Catch, Newlyn’.

These paintings form part of Derek Newman’s 19th Annual Exhibition which will be on display exclusively at the fair. The catalogue of 50 new stock watercolours can be viewed on the gallery website www.newmanfineart.co.uk from late October and will include pictures by prominent 19th century artists such as William Callow, Edward Duncan, Myles Birket Foster and John Varley – all members of The Old Watercolour Society established in 1804, which later became the Royal Watercolour Society in 1881 under Royal Charter. Featuring more than forty-five specialist art and antique dealers, the Cotswolds Fair includes everything from fine traditional furniture to silver, jewellery, textiles, ceramics, Art Deco and decorative pieces, and original paintings.

Says fair organiser Sue Ede: ‘Fine art is always popular at our Westonbirt fair, and we’re delighted to have several specialist galleries with a wide selection of West Country paintings. Of course, the fair is noted for its fabulous selection of furniture and decorative pieces which always attract home decorators and interior designers.’

The fair also offers fine English furniture from WR Harvey Antiques; Scandinavian jewellery from Dansk Silver; fashionable Blue & White ceramics from David Scriven Antiques; 20th century costume jewellery from specialists Panache, classic jewellers Plaza and Shapiro & Co; and Not Wanted on Voyage show unusual designer furniture and decorative 20th century pieces.

The Cotswolds Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair takes place in the spacious and atmospheric setting of Westonbirt House, now a prestigious school, occupying the Great Hall, Orangery and adjoining period rooms.