George Smart (English, 1774-1846) known as The Tailor of Fra...

Hammer

£2,800

George Smart (English, 1774-1846) known as The Tailor of Frant, or a follower of George Smart (possibly named R Marshall), 'Old Bright The Postman', probably early-mid 19thC, a cut and assembled felt, fabric and leather collage picture, showing the old postman in a dark blue blue felt coat and sky blue trousers leading a donkey along a road through Frant village, with his postman's satchel and holding two letters, with Frant church and a rectory/house behind him, with clumps of trees on hills, and a milestone, framed and glazed in a period black painted frame with gilt inner frame, and brown paper glued to the back with an applied photocopied label and a further label cellotaped on, presumably by a previous owner, together with a copy of the book 'George Smart, The Tailor of Frant: Artist in Cloth & Velvet Figures', by Jonathan Christie, published by Unicorn, 2016, in which the picture is shown, frame 43cm wide, 39.5cm high.

PROVENANCE
Christie's, The Judkyn/Pratt Collection of British Folk Art, 8th November 1995.
A Folk Art dealer, London.
The Property of a Gentleman

LITERATURE
This picture is illustrated and discussed on page 113 of the monograph book 'George Smart, The Tailor of Frant: Artist in Cloth & Velvet Figures', by Jonathan Christie, published by Unicorn, 2016. Author and noted George Smart expert Christie states that "...This Postman is considered the earliest known example of this subject by Smart. ... The historian and writer James Ayres knew this picture well and indeed described it as one of the earliest of its type. The metallic flags appear in later versions as does the clump of trees perched on top of the hill on the right." However, since the publication of this book, opinions on the authorship of this picture differ, with the author of the above book and another expert now believing this to possibly be the work of another hand in the style of George Smart. A clue may lie in the photocopied label glued to the back of the brown paper. In old inked writing, this reads 'the Frant Postman Returning home from the tunbridge Wells 93 years of age by R Marshall'. This could be a photocopy of an old, original label under the brown paper, which is stuck down to the backboard presumably irretrievably covering the original label, if it is indeed there - and if the two are connected. 

NOTABLE COLLECTIONS & EXHIBITIONS CONTAINING GEORGE SMART WORKS
Compton Verney, Warwickshire, 2 artworks.
Tunbridge Wells Museum, Kent, 10 artworks.
Scotney Castle, Kent, 1 artwork.
'British Folk Art', Tate Britain, London, 27th September 2014 to 14th December 2014, 21 artworks by Smart exhibited.

FOOTNOTE
George Smart (1774-1846) is recognised as one of the key figures within the history of English Folk Art. He lived and worked in the village of Frant, around 2 miles south of Tunbridge Wells. As well as offering tailoring services, he produced fabric covered dummy boards and pictures that he sold from shelves attached to the outside of his prominently placed house, 'Smart's Repository', on the main road through the village. His fame grew to the extent that he was included in tourist guidebooks of the time for visitors to Tunbridge Wells. In 1820, the same year he is first recorded as living and working in Frant, he sold works to His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, and thus then considered himself 'By Royal Appointment'. Although there are no records of how many pictures or boards Smart made, and no idea of how much they cost at the time, it is thought that only around 100 of his works survive today - all in public or private collections. There are no records of R. Marshall, or any period artists producing work so closely in Smart's style and featuring his characters. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire not only a work in superb condition showing Smart's most beloved local Kentish character, but also probably what is thought to be the earliest known example of him.

Old Bright, the Frant postman, is arguably Smart's most loved character, as well as his most frequently depicted. Delivering post was Old Bright's second career - before this he was widely known locally in Tunbridge Wells as the 'Sweeper of The Walks', the name given to The Pantiles. This very early example contains all the marvellous detail associated with Smart's depiction of this popular character, from the buckles on the shoes to his leather satchel, the furry grey hair, tired demeanour, handwritten letters with their cryptic part-hidden addresses, and more.

More Information

CONDITION: Overall very good to excellent considering the age and materials of the piece. No apparent missing components. Although the donkey's eye does not have a bead and his coat has no buttons, there are no patches (such as remains of glue), where these may have been held. There is some fading and darkening all over, as to be expected, and a couple of small patches of losses to the pile of the felt used for the road and the field, and a fence post and the church, as photographed. There are two cuts to an area of the field behind and above the milestone, presumably (like with the milestone itself), to add an sense of form or undulation. Remarkably, the gilt paper components used for the flags and church clock tower hands all survive in place. Not examined out of its frame or under a black light, but the brown paper backing has been cut and lifted in one area.

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R.O.W. (Estimated): £56.00

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