May Matthews
Managing Director, Scotland
Lot 93
Samuel John Peploe RSA(British, 1871-1935)Eilean Annraidh from the North End, Iona
Amended
11 October 2023, 14:00 BST
EdinburghSold for £70,250 inc. premium
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Leo Webster
Specialist
Harriet Stubbs
Cataloguer
Samuel John Peploe RSA (British, 1871-1935)
Eilean Annraidh from the North End, Iona
signed 'Peploe' (lower right)
oil on board
37 x 44.5cm (14 9/16 x 17 1/2in).
signed 'Peploe' (lower right)
oil on board
37 x 44.5cm (14 9/16 x 17 1/2in).
Footnotes
The island of Iona was a hugely significant location within Peploe's painting life. Having visited for the first time in 1920, he returned almost every summer until his death in 1935, often accompanied by his friend and fellow painter, F. C. B. Cadell. The island is a place of great spiritual resonance and beauty, and it is this, paired with its rapidly changeable light and weather, which charged the landscape with an energy the artists were keen to capture in paint. In this place, the sand, sea, rocks, and distant coastlines provide an endless subject matter which Peploe clearly delighted in trying to bring to life in his work.
The present lot shows a view from the North End with the small island of Eilean Annraidh and its stretch of beach visible. In the foreground Peploe has focussed on a particularly prominent rocky feature which he has captured through spontaneous lines to give both form and weight. In the distance one can see the Isle of Mull and the entrance to Loch Na Kiel.
In Peploe's still lifes the palette is often dominated by bright bold colours and there is a clear desire from him to reach a degree of compositional perfection. In contrast to this, his Iona views feel refreshingly spontaneous in their composition, and they highlight his ability to work in a cool palette of blues, greens, and pinks. The present lot showcases these aspects of Peploe's work, whilst celebrating all those features of Iona which he loved so much.
Saleroom notices
Please note this work was with the Fine Art Society, London, October 1966, no.2976