11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
43
GEORGE PINWELL (BRITISH 1842-1875)
BEEHIVES AGAINST A GARDEN WALL
signed with initials lower left; pencil on paper; 18 x 19cm; 7 x 7 1/2in; (34 x 34cm; 13 1/2 x 13 1/2in framed)
Provenance: (probably) Abbott & Holder, London
The son of a carpenter, Pinwell first worked for an embroiderer while attending night school at St Martin's Lane Academy before becoming a full time student at Heatherley's Academy. He worked regularly for the Brothers Dalziel as a wood engraver and was among the cohort of book illustrators and watercolourists who formed the Idyllic school.
The school enjoyed an all too brief flowering. In 1871 The Times wrote of the group: 'Mr. North and Mr Macbeth both belong to the school of which in this country Mason and F. Walker are the chiefs, and Mr. Pinwell the lieutenant – the school aims at making pictorial idylls out of the unpromising materials of lowly life in town and country'. But the premature deaths of its key members, in particular Pinwell and Frederick Walker in 1875, meant the school was largely defunct within a decade. Much admired in his day Pinwell exhibited with the Dudley Gallery and the Royal Watercolour Society of which he was elected a full member in 1871.
Sold for £85
BEEHIVES AGAINST A GARDEN WALL
signed with initials lower left; pencil on paper; 18 x 19cm; 7 x 7 1/2in; (34 x 34cm; 13 1/2 x 13 1/2in framed)
Provenance: (probably) Abbott & Holder, London
The son of a carpenter, Pinwell first worked for an embroiderer while attending night school at St Martin's Lane Academy before becoming a full time student at Heatherley's Academy. He worked regularly for the Brothers Dalziel as a wood engraver and was among the cohort of book illustrators and watercolourists who formed the Idyllic school.
The school enjoyed an all too brief flowering. In 1871 The Times wrote of the group: 'Mr. North and Mr Macbeth both belong to the school of which in this country Mason and F. Walker are the chiefs, and Mr. Pinwell the lieutenant – the school aims at making pictorial idylls out of the unpromising materials of lowly life in town and country'. But the premature deaths of its key members, in particular Pinwell and Frederick Walker in 1875, meant the school was largely defunct within a decade. Much admired in his day Pinwell exhibited with the Dudley Gallery and the Royal Watercolour Society of which he was elected a full member in 1871.
Auction: The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector, 11th Feb, 2026
Auction Location: London, UK
John Russell Taylor was a compulsive collector. When he died at the age of ninety, his two bedroom flat on the corner of Brook Green was floor to ceiling with books and pictures that he had collected over the last seventy years. A precocious talent he was awarded a scholarship to read English at Cambridge aged 16 and graduated with a starred First Class degree. Film, theatre and art critic for The Times for more than four decades, he wrote thousands of articles and reviews for the newspaper. He also wrote over sixty books – critical studies, biographies, and monographs. He was appointed professor of Film at the University of Southern California during the 1970s, when he was asked by Alfred Hitchcock to write his biography. Hitch remains the standard text on the film director. John's interests ranged across all aspects of the arts from Art Nouveau book illustration to Vorticism, fan paintings, poetry and stage design. Struck by the visual rather than the value of a work of art, the sale of his picture collection gives a flavour of the full gamut of his encyclopaedic mind, a man remembered for his phenomenal range of reference, his extraordinary talent for writing and his warm and generous character.
For a copy of the printed catalogue, email pictures@olympiaauctions.com
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
View Press Release for more information
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PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
