SPENCER WATSON
GEORGE SPENCER WATSON RA, ROI, RP (BRITISH 1869 – 1934)
PORTRAIT OF A LADY HOLDING A PARASOL
CIRCA 1910
SIGNED WITH INITIALS “GSW” LOWER RIGHT, OIL ON CANVAS
H:34⁷/₁₆ X W 26¹⁵/₁₆ IN
H:102 CM X W:85CM
SPENCER WATSON
Self Portrait
BIOGRAPHY
George Spencer Watson R.O.I., R.P., A.R.A., R.A. (8 March 1869, London – 11 April 1934, London) was
an English portrait artist of the late romantic school who sometimes worked in the style of the Italian
Renaissance.
Born in London, Watson studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1889, and exhibited at the Royal
Academy from 1891. He won Royal Academy Schools Silver Medals in 1889 and 1891, and the
Landseer Scholarship in 1892. He was elected to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) in 1900, Royal
Society of Portrait Painters (RP) in 1904, Associate of the Royal Academy in 1923, and a Member of
the Royal Academy (RA) in 1932. He also exhibited at the Paris Salon.
George Spencer Watson was a celebrated portrait painter, living in Holland Park when he married his
wife Hilda, a dancer and mime artist. They had a daughter, Mary Spencer Watson (1913–2006), who
became a famous sculptor. A selection of his works are held at Tate Britain, (A Lady in Black 1922) the
Harris Art Gallery, Preston and collections in Bournemouth, Liverpool, Plymouth and the National
Gallery of Canada. Retrospective exhibitions of his work were held at the Galerie Heinemann, Munich
in 1912, and at the Fine Art Society in 1914.
He died in London in 1934 and a memorial exhibition was held at the Fine Art Society in the same year.
There is a memorial to him in the north vestibule of St James's Church, Piccadilly, London.
REFERENCES:
Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940 P.532, Royal Academy of Art: Complete Dictionary p167, Royal
Academy Exhibitors 1905 – 1970 Vol II, Benezit p.470, Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood p.556,
Vollmer (Thieme-Becker) p.187, Artist Biographies Master Index p.658, Dictionary of British Artists
Working 1900 – 1950 p.346, A Record of Art in 1898 p.73, The Art Journal 1908 p. 174 The Royal
Society of British Artists 1824 – 1891, Royl Academy of Pictures (several years) Graves Dict. of Art p.
295, Who’s Who in Art 1934 p.449, Paris Salon Catalogue. Mary Chamot, Dennis Farr and Martin
Butlin, The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, London 1964, II
An online collection of his work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WJ4O1uR3Co
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/george-spencer-watson
SPENCER WATSON
Works:
Cynthia - circa 1932
A Cottage Garden - 1928 (view of Dunshay)
The Adoration
The Creation -1921 -Wolverhampton Art Gallery, West Midlands, UK
The Birth of Venus - Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, UK
Peter and the bear - 1915
Portrait of Monica Boyd - 1909
Portrait of Esther Harris - 1904
Portrait of James Harris and his dog
The Fountain - 1900
Sir Francis Eden Lacey, as Secretary of the MCC, 1928.
Girl in a Feathered Hat
Marishka - nude
The Three Wise Kings - held by Rochdale Art Gallery, Lancashire, UK
Nude 1927 - Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, Lancashire, UK,
Mary, 1932 Oil on canvas, of his daughter [Mary Spencer Watson] held by the Royal Academy
My lady of the rose
Miss Beaton, 1934, 'Baba' Beaton, (Mrs. Alec Hambro)
George Elkington Past Master Quatuor Coronati Lodge (2076)
Sir Montague Sharpe - Middlesex Guildhall Collection
Four Loves I found, a Woman, a Child, a Horse and a Hound - 1922
A picnic at Portofino, 1911
The Saddler's Daughter (Mary Spencer Watson)
OTHER WORKS
The Birth of Venus
SPENCER WATSON
Portrait of Hilda Spencer Watson
Portrait of Hilda Spencer Watson (Tate Galllery)
SPENCER WATSON
Sunlight Nude
Four Loves I Found
SPENCER WATSON
Cynthia 1932
Portrait of Miss Beaton
Woman in a Camisole
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver C.S. Watson
SPENCER WATSON
Nude
Picnic at Portofino
The Sadler’s Daughter
Three Wise Men
SPENCER WATSON
VALUATION FOR INSURANCE CERTIFICATE
Description:
PORTRAIT OF A LADY HOLDING A PARASOL
CIRCA 1910, OIL ON CANVAS
H:34⁷/₁₆ X W 26¹⁵/₁₆ IN
H:102 CM X W:85CM
Artist:
GEORGE SPENCER WATSON RA, ROI, RP
(BRITISH 1869 – 1934)
SIGNED WITH INITIALS “GSW” LOWER RIGHT.
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Provenance:
PRIVATE COLLECTION, GERMANY
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This valuation represents an insured replacement figure in the event of accident or loss. As standard, this is subject
to appropriate cover and premiums being maintained. This certificate neither warrants, or implies an appraisal
figure of the item on the open market.