Rarely seen portraits by Sir John Lavery go on sale in Edinburgh

By Susan Mansfield, 21.08.2024

Sir John Lavery, A Lady in Grey and Black (1901) courtesy of the Fine Art Society

Two portraits by Sir John Lavery (1856-1941), which have not been shown in public for at least 80 years, are being offered for sale by the Fine Art Society in Edinburgh at the same time as the artist’s work is being celebrated in a major exhibition at National Galleries Scotland. 

‘A Lady in Grey and Black’ from 1901 and ‘Cyril McCormack Esq’ from 1935 are considered fine examples of Lavery’s skill at portraiture.

Emily Walsh, director of the Fine Art Society, says: “Painted 34 years apart, they show Lavery doing what he did best: tenderness and femininity in the 1901 portrait and, in the 1935 portrait, all the swagger and glamour that he became sought after for.

“While the quiet tonal harmony of ‘A Lady in Grey and Black’ is in stark contrast to the thrilling portrait of Cyril McCormack, resplendent in his hunting pinks, both sitters exude confidence.”

‘A Lady in Grey and Black’, which shows the influence of James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), was much admired when it was hung in London in 1901 in an exhibition by the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers. It was also praised in Paris the following year, where Lavery’s work was highly regarded leading to two paintings being purchased for the national collection.

The portrait of Cyril McCormack is a good example of a commission by the artist. McCormack, who was 28 when he sat for the portrait, was the son of the celebrated Irish tenor John McCormack, and went on to become an ambassador for Irish industry. 

Although McCormack is depicted as a young sportsman, Kenneth McConkey, Emeritus Professor of Art History at the University of Northumberland and an expert on Lavery, wrote that the artist had got to the heart of his sitter: “The closer we get, swagger gives way to sobriety… the artist’s eye penetrates the facade. McCormack was not a mere socialite. Serious purpose was emerging.”

Both works have been in private collections since they were painted. ‘A Lady in Grey and Black’ has not been shown in public since a Lavery retrospective in London in 1914.

Walsh said: “We’re delighted to be able to hang these works in our gallery and offer them for sale. The substantial exhibition at [the National Galleries of Scotland] helps contextualise the pictures and underscores how important Lavery was to the development of art in Scotland and Britain in the final decades of the 19th century.”

The works are now on sale at the Fine Art Society in Edinburgh