LOUIS WAIN, (ENGLISH 1860-1939)
FRAMED ORIGINAL CHARMING DETAILED GRAPHITE DRAWING OF ‘WE ARE A DISCONTENTED BAND OF ADJUTANT STORKS’.
Signed in full “LOUIS WAIN”, mid-center, who added the inscriptions of “We are a discontented band” / “Adjutant Storks”
[ “Adjutant Storks” are a large black-and-white stork with a massive bill and a bare head and neck, found in India and Southeast Asia.]
THE ART IS IN FINE CONDITION AND WAS CUSTOM MATTED, FRAMED AND GLAZED. PRESENTED IN A RUBBED SILVER TONE FRAME USING ALL ACHIVAL MATERIALS AND UV GLASS. A VERY STUNNING PIECE!. COMPLETED SIZE OF: 23.25″ X 19″
A rare and stunning original Louis Wain drawing in dark rich graphite. The drawing is of four “Adjutant Storks” standing around in a group, each in a different pose and each with a different expression. Signed in full by Louis Wain “LOUIS WAIN”, to the mid center of the page just under one of the storks. He then added an inscription of “We are a discontented band” / “Adjutant Storks”. Wain has a very distinctive artistic style capturing incredible emotions in his highly detailed drawing. The art sheet by sight is 14.25″ x 9.5″.
Condition: The page is lightly toned, otherwise the art is in excellent condition. The piece is presented new matted, framed and glazed using all archival materials and UV glass. The frame is a silver toned lightly rubbed frame which sets off the art.
Provenance:
The art is Ex. The Fine Art Society, London. A note placed to the art verso upon reframing will be included and it states “6227 Fine Art Society 8174”. The art was acquired via a premier auction house who vetted the art and also added that the prior owner stated it has been in the family since about 1980. A copy of the lot showing both the purchase and the lot description will accompany the framed piece as provenance.
Established in 1876, The Fine Art Society handles Scottish and British art, design, and decorative arts from the 18th century to the post-war period. Their Scottish base is an expansive gallery over two floors in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town. They provide advice to collectors and public institutions on private sales, auction, framing and conservation. Their exhibition programme enriches, support and expands the market for historical fine art and design, and is one of the oldest fine art dealers in the UK. Today, they continue to handle many of the most influential artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Louis Wain original artwork is exceedingly scarce. A very stunning piece and showcases very well. Perfect for the Louis Wain collector.
Louis Wain was one of the most popular commercial illustrators in the history of England. Born in 1860, his anthropomorphic portrayals of cats captured the imagination of the Edwardian era and his work helped to elevate the profile and popularity of our feline friends to unprecedented heights. Before Wain, cats in England were often thought of with contempt but his work humanised them and helped to show them as something to be liked, admired and even loved. However, Louis Wain and his art expanded beyond the genre of cats…
His illustrations were so popular that throughout the beginning of the twentieth-century most homes had at least one of his famous cat annuals and many nurseries had Wain posters hanging on their walls. “He made the cat his own” H.G. Wells once remarked. “He invented a cat style, a cat society, a whole cat world.” His artistic style changed throughout his life, although he was always known for drawings of cats. In his later years, his drawings took on a psychedelic style (not unlike some of Van Goghs art), with many of his painting containing brilliant background colors with swirling patterns. Eventually even his cats began to take on the same psychedelic appearances beginning to seemingly blend into the background.
A superb original by Louis Wain for Bird Lovers!!!
FRAMED SIZE: 23.25″ X 19″
