A symbolist arts and crafts water colour, from “The Art Sheds”, Liverpool

For sale is this classic arts and crafts period watercolour portrait of a mermaid holding a pearl.  The picture has a Scottish feel, but it is infact from the Liverpool School of Arts or the “Art Sheds” as it was known at the time, which had strong links to Glasgow.  It is attributed to the Liverpool Art Sheds c 1903 based on the framing sticker to the reverse for a well known Liverpool framing and art shop.  Additionally, the archives of Liverpool Museum show James Herbert McNair standing by very similar pictures at the art school, of the same style and dimensions – see images (photographed by Mary ‘Bee’ Phillips. Courtesy of National Museums Liverpool, © the artist’s estate).

This watercolour is signed with monogramme “R”, which has not been identified.  Likely it was a student of McNair’s.   Intriguingly Frances McNair’s jewellery also carries the R monogramme, often assumed to stand for Richard Llewelyn Rathbone as  maker. Condition is excellent. The frame is modern.

James Herbert MacNair (1868–1955) was a Scottish artist and designer who became a leading figure of the Glasgow Style]and a key influence on the British Art Nouveau movement. He is best known as one of “The Four,” alongside Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the sisters Margaret and Frances Macdonald.

MacNair trained as an architect in Glasgow, where he met Mackintosh at the firm Honeyman and Keppie. Together with the Macdonald sisters, they developed a distinctive, mystical aesthetic featuring elongated figures and organic motifs. In 1899, MacNair married Frances Macdonald, sister of Margaret and Charles Rennie Mackintosh’ wife.

In 1898, MacNair moved to Liverpool to become the Instructor in Design at the School of Architecture and Applied Art. The school was affectionately known as the “Art Sheds” because it was housed in temporary corrugated iron buildings.  MacNair was considered a popular and inspirational teacher who encouraged a bohemian atmosphere. The school was famous for its lively culture, including fancy dress parties, pageants, and exhibitions.  While in Liverpool, MacNair and his wife collaborated on decorative schemes for private clients and designed the interior of their home at 54 Oxford Street. They also designed a renowned “Writing Room” for the International Exhibition in Turin in 1902.  The Art Sheds were wound up in 1905 after the school was integrated into the Municipal School of Art, leading to MacNair losing his post.

Following the closure of the school and family financial failures, the couple returned to Glasgow in 1909. MacNair’s artistic output declined sharply after 1911. After Frances’s death in 1921, a devastated MacNair destroyed a significant portion of their work and vowed never to paint again. He spent his final decades in obscurity, working various jobs such as a postman and car mechanic before passing away in 1955.

Price: Sold

Maker: Unknown “R”

Designer: Unknown

Date: c 1903

Marks: Labels to reverse, signed R

Material: Watercolour on paper

Condition: Excellent.  Modern frame

Size: 31 cm high, 19 cm width (frame), picture 19 x 6.75 cm

Weight: NM