Edinburgh - A number of remarkable Scottish Colourist paintings will come home to Bonhams Scotland to be offered in the Scottish Art Sale at Melville Crescent, Edinburgh on Wednesday 9 October 2024. The paintings, sourced in the US and Europe by Bonhams global network, will include works by George Leslie Hunter and Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell. Leading the sale is an exceptional work by Samuel John Peploe titled Luxembourg Gardens, Paris with an estimate of £70,000-100,000. The sale also showcases an amazing discovery of a still life painting by George Leslie Hunter hidden on the reverse of a portrait he painted of the Scottish author, John Ressich.

May Matthews, Managing Director of Bonhams Scotland and Head of the Scottish Picture Department comments, "We are delighted to have these works returning to Edinburgh. The Scottish Colourists are among Scotland's most cherished artists and breathed new life into Scottish painting. The sale has some exquisite works by all four artists and the discovery of a hidden still life by Hunter is all the more remarkable. We expect considerable interest."

A formative influence on contemporary Scottish Art

The Scottish Colourists were a group of artists, hailing from Edinburgh and the Isle of Bute, whose Post-Impressionist work came to have a formative influence on contemporary Scottish art and culture. The four artists, Francis Cadell, John Duncan Fergusson, George Leslie Hunter and Samuel Peploe, were all prolific painters, spanning the turn of the twentieth century until the beginnings of World War II. Having spent time in France, their style was greatly influenced by the work of the French Impressionists and Fauve painters, which they skilfully combined with the painting traditions of Scotland, to create works with bold use of colour and a vibrant, confident tone.

Luxembourg Gardens by Samuel John Peploe, largely recognised as the leading figure of the group, clearly shows the influence of the Fauves with its raw expressionism and vivid palette. Luxembourg Gardens and its habitués provided popular subjects for both Peploe and Fergusson who both lived nearby. The work is being offered with an estimate of £70,000-100,000.

Works return to Scotland

Works returning to Scotland from the US and Europe respectively include two striking still lifes by George Leslie Hunter and two evocative landscapes of the Hebridean island of Iona by Francis Cadell. Cadell, the youngest of the Colourists, found inspiration in the island's strong light, natural beauty and expansive views.

• George Leslie Hunter (Scottish, 1877-1931), Still life with Fruit and Flowers, 1923, oil on board. Estimate: £60,000-80,000.

• George Leslie Hunter (Scottish, 1877-1931), The Ginger Jar. Estimate: £40,000-60,000.

• Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (British,1883-1937), Iona, oil on panel. Estimate: £40,000-60,000.

• Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (British, 1883-1937), The House by the sea, Sound of Iona. Estimate: £25,000-35,000.

Hidden still life discovered on reverse of portrait by George Leslie Hunter

A hidden still life, held in a private collection for generations, and never been on the market before, has been discovered on the reverse of a portrait painting, Portrait of John Ressich, by George Leslie Hunter. The still life was only discovered when the owners took the painting off the wall to send photographs to Bonhams for an initial valuation. They noticed a small tear in the backing paper which gave a glimpse of vibrant colour revealing the still life. The portrait with the still life on its reverse, will be offered in the sale with an estimate of £12,000-18,000.

Rare early society portraits featured

Two rare early portraits will also feature in the sale including a Portrait of Catherine Maxwell by the Scottish painter, George Willison (1741-1797) offered with an estimate of £4,000-6,000. Catherine married John Fordyce of Ayton in 1767 and following the marriage of Catherine's younger sister to the 4th Duke of Gordon, the Fordyces found themselves a central part of Scottish high society. Several traditional reels were composed in Catherine's honour, such as Mrs Fordyce of Ayton's strathspey, Miss Catherine Maxwell's Scots Measure and Miss Catherine Maxwell's Minuet.

The second portrait by Jacob Jacobsz.de Wet the Younger (Haarlem 1641-1697) is of Lady Anne Bruce (1660-1716), daughter of the 2nd Earl of Elgin, Robert Bruce and offered with an estimate of £3,000-5,000. The painting hung for some time at Edinburgh Castle. During the 1650s, Sir William Bruce of Kinross, 1st Baronet, King's Surveyor and Master of Works in Scotland resided in Rotterdam, and it is here that he made acquaintance with Jacob Jacobsz.de Wet the Younger. Following Bruce's introduction of the artist to King Charles II, de Wet the Younger contributed to the renovation of Holyroodhouse and would go on to paint smaller works for Kellie Castle and Balcaskie House in Fife.