A story of a painting

 

June 2006

I was with my brother one Sunday afternoon in 1977 in the Cotswold village of Broadway. In the middle of the window of a shop, rejoicing in the name of Nootts, was a painting of a winter skating scene. It was in what we took to be a Dutch style. The colours were bright and we both found the picture very attractive. John was interested in buying it and so we went into the gallery. It was, we were told, a painting by someone called Jean-Marie Lisle.

It was painted on wood and the signature was in the bottom right hand corner. It appeared to be M Lisle, but with a left-facing curve on the bottom of the first vertical of the M which seemed to be an ‘M' combined with a ‘J'.

John decided to buy it and he went back a week or so later to pick it up, after his cheque had cleared. Fortunately, credit cards were not in use then because, when he arrived at the gallery, he was told that someone from a greetings card company had come in to ask if he could have the rights to reproduce it as part of a range of Christmas cards.  Mr Noott passed on the details to John and the deal was done. Part of the deal was that John was given a supply of cards for his own use and, sure enough, we all received a Christmas card that year with the winter scene on the front.

Shortly afterwards, John checked with the reference library in Birmingham. Jean-Marie Lisle was described as being primarily a portraitist who died in about 1870. His paintings were said by the book to be selling ‘quite well' at that time.

After John's death, we hung the picture in our dining room. I was always impressed by the liveliness of the colours and the detail in the scene.

Although I have never been back to the library to consult the book that John had found, from time to time I have looked on the web to see if I could find any other information about the painter. I have always drawn a blank.

The other day, my curiosity finally got the better of me and I went to Bonhams in Knowle to see if they could shed any light on it. Their paintings expert, Charlie, listened to my brief explanation and then looked first at the front and then at the back of the painting. As he looked, I realised what good condition the wood was in and I started to think that a date in the mid-1800's was very unlikely. I was left to read their auction catalogues for a short while so that ‘Charlie' could do some research.

When he reappeared, he told me that the painter was in fact a woman called Margaret Lisle who lived in the 1920's and was well known for painting skating scenes in the style of another, rather more famous artist. He estimated the value at an amount which was about in line with inflation compared to its purchase price.

And so I am not suddenly rich, but I do now know something more about a picture which for me is a real treasure.

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