The Lady of Shalott by Fyffe Christie (1918-79). 1957. Draught screen on four panels, oil on hardboard, each 122 x 61 cm (48 x 24 in.), overall 122 x 244 cm (48 x 96 in.) Provenance: in the artist's possession until 1979, thence with his wife Eleanor Christie-Chatterley until 2012. Courtesy Liss Fine Art and the Fine Art Society. Readers may wish to look at the Liss and FAS websites. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit Liss Fine Art and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.]
Two details: (a) The Lady at her loom. (b) Launcelot and other knights looking at the dead Lady in her boat. [Click on these images for larger pictures.]
British Murals & Decorative Painting, 1910-1970 explains that the “model for the Lady Shalott was Christie's wife Eleanor (née Munro) whom he met in 1950 when teaching evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art.” Mrs. Christie recalled that they they moved to London in 1856 “Fyffe found himself at first without a mural commission and hit on the notion of a free standing screen/wall hanging.”
Bibliography
Liss, Paul. British Murals & Decorative Painting, 1910-1970. Exhibition catalogue. London: Liss Fine Art and the Fine Art Society, 2013. No. 63.
Last modified 23 August 2013