One of Francis Cadell’s iconic Iona pictures is for sale at Bonhams 19th and 20th Century Pictures and Prints sale in Edinburgh on 22 April. It is expected to make between £40,000 – 60,000.
FCB Cadell (1883-1937), one of the celebrated Scottish Colourists, visited the tiny island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland every summer from 1912, around the time he truly found his own style. TJ Honeyman, friend and biographer of the group, considered Cadell’s Iona pictures the archetypal Colourist (a term he coined) works.
Generally, Cadell favoured coastal views of the North End of the island, revelling in the light and atmospheric effects on white sand, jagged rocks and blue sea. He was a ‘well-kent’ figure by locals and tourists alike, setting up easel on the beach in his kilt after arriving each summer from Edinburgh with his manservant. This picture is unusual in that it depicts the village itself.
Cadell’s works are always sought-after at auction, whether by Colourist devotees or collectors for whom the island has a particular resonance. However, this was not always the case. During his lifetime the artist struggled to sell pictures to any but his most loyal patrons and ended up in penury.
Head of the Picture Department at Bonhams, Scotland, Chris Brickley, said: “This is an iconic view of the town of Iona, and I expect fierce competition for the work at the sale.”
www.bonhams.com/scottishpictures
