NUDE IN LANDSCAPE.

Photos: Jonathan Russell / donated by owner.

  • Title(s): Nude in landscape (written on back of frame).
  • Description: A reclining female nude figure, face turned away, background of subdued greens, blues and pale pigments. There is a patch of yellow pigment on the chest, possibly a butterfly or butterflies. Has the appearance of an unfinished or trial piece.
  • Media: Oil on canvas (personal inspection).
  • Dimensions: “canvas 22.5 x 61.5 cm, frame 36.0 x 74.5 cm” (private communication).
  • Signature/date/other text: None on canvas; on back of frame “ANNA LOUISE SWYNNERTON (1844-1933) NUDE IN LANDSCAPE”.
  • History:
    • c. 1904? – by possible association with New Risen Hope (Melbourne) because of presumed butterfly motif on chest.
    • 1990s? – “Purchased from the Collection of the late George Hulme, Playwright, Author and Art Collector who lived at 9 Ormonde Gate, London SW3” (details on eBay listing). (The vendor, an acquaintance of the late Mr Hulme, thought the work may have been obtained c. 1980s, possibly at a Christie’s auction [private communication].)
    • 2018 Apr 24 – Auctioned eBay, “Good condition, has been professionally relined … an original Oil on Canvas Painting by Anna Louise Swynnerton, ARA (1844-1933). This painting is thought to be a preparatory study for a larger work. / English, circa 1870. / Unsigned, with an inscription on the stretcher verso and a paper label with details of her listings in The Dictionary of British Artists 1880 -1940 and the Dictionary of Victorian Painters 2nd. Edition. / Presented in a good quality hand finished frame”, sold: £438.
  • Location: Private collection.

There is a yellow mark – a butterfly or butterflies? – on the chest. New Risen Hope (Melbourne) has a similar mark:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is butterflies.jpg

The canvas appears to have been cut from a larger piece and glued to a second piece of canvas, with a thin ruled line visible along the edge in places,  a characteristic also noted in New Risen Hope (Melbourne).

‘Nude in landscape’ is written in modern marker pen on the back of frame and the canvas has been relined.

Special thanks to the owner for allowing close examination and detailed photography of the work and to the original vendor for additional information – the provenance information is according to the best recall of the vendor who had held the work in their stock for many years.

Page last updated 10 Oct 2025.