This painting was recently verified by the renown Art Dealer Rupert Maas of the BBC’s Antiques roadshow and Maas Galleries to be work of Charles Sillem Lidderdale

81cm (H) x 71cm (W) x 6cm (D)

Charles Sillem Lidderdale

Born: September 28, 1830

(British Chaplaincy, St. Petersburg, Russia)

Died: 1895 Hampstead, London, England

Charles Sillem Lidderdale was a British artist whose work often focused on portraits of young women in outdoor settings...

This actual painting used to hang inside Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England, and would have been placed alongside some of the countries most historical portraits, The English Heritage are now seeking to purchase many of the old works back to restore the walls back to their former glory.

In 1917 Lady Lucas of Wrest Park sold off all the historical portraits by auction (Christie’s) this portrait was included in that sale as was is mentioned in a combined lot (Lot 75).

A picture of the original CHRISTIES catalogue cover and Lot 75 can be seen above.

To the back of the portrait is a label which states:

‘THIS PAINTING WAS BOUGHT AT THE SALE 'THE CONTENTS OF WREST PARK' SILSOE, BEDS MANSION PRIOR TO THE PURCHASE OF THE ESTATE BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE 1930'S. THE OWNERS PRIOR TO THE 1930'S WERE LORD LUCAS (WHO WAS KILLED IN THE 1914-1918 WAR)(Now known as WWI) AND THE TENNANT AT THE TIME WAS WHITELAW REID, THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR FROM 1910 ONWARDS. LORD DE-GREY WAS THE OWNER BEFORE LORD LUCAS. THE DE GREYS LIVED IN THE MANSION PRIOR TO LUCAS AND ONE OF THE DE-GREYS WAS AN AMATEUR OIL PAINTER. APP AD 1900.

American Ambassador Whitelaw Reid, would no doubt have known of this painting from when he resided at Wrest Park in the early 1900's.’

The subject actually sat for the portrait in the grounds of Wrest Park and the stone steps can be seen in the background.

The Antiques Roadshow recently visited Wrest Park where Rupert Maas studied the painting for quite some time concluding that it was indeed attributed to Charles Sillem Lidderdale, stating that the signature rose in the hair and Spanish attire was Lidderdale’s style through and through.

The episode is to be early 2019..

Details on Charles Sillem Lidderdale

Charles Sillem Lidderdale was an artist of promise who exhibited 36 paintings at the Royal Academy from 1856-1893. His career was marred by eyesight trouble which, after lengthy and skilful treatment by Tirgolin Tweedy, the oculist, yielded sufficiently to enable him to continue his work. Unfortunately, he had to give up watercolour, a medium more exacting than oils. His work, perhaps, was most liked in the Midlands where many of his pictures are in private hands.

A painting of the head of a girl, which was in the Gassiot Collection was destroyed when the Guildhall was bombed in the 'blitz' on London on 10th May, 1941. His portraits were few, and those of his Uncle James and his wife, Jane Hannay, were sent to the Scotts descendants in New Zealand. Two paintings, in watercolour, of Hester Liddardale, (born Ponsford), and her son, Arthur Hector, the painter's sister-in-law and nephew, are in possession of the last named.

Charles Sillem married Kezia Morris, daughter of Edward Morris, of London, and after his death was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

They had four children, Ann Esther, James Halliday, William Kennedy, and Robert Halliday.

The 1870-94 diaries, account books and notebooks of Charles Sillem Lidderdale are held at the Victoria & Albert Museum - National Art Library under reference MSL.1983/4 NRA 38891.

Written by the National Art Gallery:

Charles Sillem Lidderdale is an artist who, in the department of genre subjects, is rapidly acquiring a good reputation.

He first appeared at the Academy in 1856, when he sent ‘A Greenwich Pensioner’ and its companion ‘A Chelsea Pensioner’ along with ‘A Blind Woman Examining the Features of her Sleeping Child’ the latter, a singularly chosen subject, had much feeling and skill.

In1859 we find him making considerable progress over his preceding efforts, in a very pretty little composition entitled ‘Happy!’ an infant sprawling on the floor, while an elder sister tickles it with a feather, to the delight of the baby and the amusement of its mother, who stands by.

A yet more steady advance was apparent in his two next pictures ‘Too Bad' and ‘A Wood Carrier’ which were exhibited in 1863.

The following year in 1864 ‘A Girl with a Net’ and ‘Counting the Change’ also depicted a young girl, who, returning from market, where she has been selling her eggs or other country produce, seats herself on a stile by the way-side to count over the day's proceeds.

‘Wishing’ ‘Bird-keeping’ and ‘Looking Seaward’ are in both the gallery of the Academy and that of the British Institution.

With two or three exceptions, the pictures just enumerated, and others not referred to, consist of single figures, painted with great care and felicitous expression.

PRICES REALISED AT AUCTION:
London, 25 May 1979: Portrait of a Girl (1877, oil on canvas, 23½ × 19¾ ins/59.6 × 50 cm) GBP 2,000

London, 20 Oct 1981: Happy (1859, oil on canvas, 21 × 27½ ins/53.5 × 70 cm) GBP 4,200

New York, 24 Feb 1987: Love Letter (1871, oil on canvas, 44 × 31¼ ins/111.8 × 79.5 cm) USD 8,000

London, 15 June 1988: The Maid Servant (1856, oil on canvas, 35¾ × 26½ ins/91 × 67.5 cm) GBP 11,000

New York, 23 Feb 1989: The Young Huntress (1882, oil on canvas, 35½ × 26½ ins/90.2 × 67.3 cm) USD 8,250

London, 27 Sept 1989: Daydream (1881, oil on canvas, 41 × 30¾ ins/104 × 78 cm) GBP 6,820

London, 9 Feb 1990: The Intruders (1868, oil on canvas, 24½ × 36 ins/62.3 × 91.5 cm) GBP 5,500

Edinburgh, 2 May 1991: Young Peasant Girl (oil on canvas, 42 × 30 ins/106.7 × 76.2 cm) GBP 4,620

London, 12 Nov 1992: Knitting (1888, oil on card, 36 × 20 ins/91.5 × 51 cm) GBP 4,400

London, 8-9 June 1993: Young Maid Servant with a Toby Jug (1891, oil on canvas, 30 × 19¾ ins/76.5 × 50 cm) GBP 4,140

New York, 12 Oct 1993: The Broken Pitcher (1878, oil on canvas, 36 × 23¾ ins/91.4 × 60.3 cm) USD 12,650

London, 30 March 1994: Sulkiness (1885, oil on canvas, 22½ × 14½ ins/57 × 37 cm) GBP 9,430

London, 6 Nov 1995: Walk in the Woods (1883, oil on canvas, 29½ × 24¾ ins/75 × 63 cm) GBP 5,520

London, 8 Nov 1996: Firewood Collector (1878, oil on canvas, 30 × 21 ins/76.5 × 53.3 cm) GBP 4,000

New York, 22 Oct 1997: Daydream (1871, oil on canvas, 41½ × 29 ins/105.4 × 73.7 cm) USD 14,950

New York, 10 Feb 1998: Peasant Woman (oil on canvas, 19½ × 14 ins/49.5 × 35.5 cm) USD 4,600

London, 11 March 1999: Country Beauty (1885, oil on canvas, 30 × 20 ins/76 × 51 cm) GBP 6,300

London, 30 Nov 1999: Young Girl in Classroom (1876, oil on canvas, 39 × 26 ins/100 × 66 cm) GBP 18,500

Haslemere, 23 Feb 2000: Pensive Moment (oil on canvas, 28 × 22 ins/71 × 56 cm) GBP 5,500

Bath, 21 July 2000: At the Well (1881, oil on canvas, 35 × 24 ins/89 × 61 cm) GBP 10,000

London, 5 Dec 2001: Young Girl Carrying Partridges (1882, oil on canvas, 35 × 26 ins/90 × 67 cm) GBP 21,000

London, 19 Dec 2001: Wood Gatherer (1878, oil on canvas, 44 × 34 ins/113 × 86 cm) GBP 26,000

London, 19 June 2002: Off to Market (1881, oil on canvas, 28 × 20 ins/71 × 52 cm) GBP 6,000

Chester, 6 Nov 2002: Young Beauty (oil on canvas, 20 × 17 ins/52 × 42 cm) GBP 4,400

London, 20 Feb 2003: Scottish Vigil (1870, oil on canvas, 19 × 31 ins/49 × 79 cm) GBP 14,000

London, 30 Oct 2003: In Hiding after Culloden (1869, oil on canvas, 29 × 45 ins/73 × 114 cm) GBP 14,000

London, 4 March 2004: Fisher Girl (1865, oil on panel, 15 × 11 ins/39 × 29 cm) GBP 2,500

London, 14 Sept 2004: White Cockade (1868, oil on canvas, 36 × 24 ins/92 × 62 cm) GBP 4,000