Born into a wealthy Quaker family in Bradford, Yorkshire, where his father was a woollen yarn manufacturer, Bertram Priestman was twenty when he went to study at the esteemed Slade School of Art. Early successes followed, including showing in London at the Royal Academy, the New English Art Club (known as the ‘English Impressionists’) and the dealer Goupil Gallery. Like most artists of his time, he travelled frequently in pursuit of inspiration, returning often to his native Yorkshire, where this impressionistic pastoral scene was likely painted. A Wellington reviewer praised it as “one of the most admirable productions” in the 1906–07 exhibition’s British Art section, and “a very notable instance of the power of [Priestman’s] method… An independent individuality characterises the work of his brush…”

Ship Nails and Tail Feathers, 10 June – 22 October 2023