FRANCES MACDONALD MCNAIR (1873-1921) DESIGN FOR... Lot n° 355

pencil and watercolour, inscribed in pencil DESIGN FOR BROOCH IN TURQUOISE AND SILVER-/ OR PENDANT (Dimensions: 10cm x 10.5cm) (10cm x 10.5cm) Provenance: Mrs C. Armstrong, the artist's niece The Fine Art Society, London, 1979 Private Collection Footnote: Exhibited: Doves & Dreams: The Art of Frances Macdonald and J. Herbert McNair, Hunterian Art Gallery Glasgow, 2006 & Walker Art Gallery Liverpool, 2007, M21 Note: After completing studies together at the Glasgow School of Art, Frances Macdonald McNair and her sister Margaret established a small studio together, where they often worked in collaboration with each other as well as Herbert McNair and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Together they became known as ‘The Four’, developing widespread international acclaim for their designs. Frances and Herbert married in 1899 and soon after moved to Liverpool where they both taught design classes at the Art Sheds at the University. It was in these early years that Frances really began to explore her interest in jewellery design. Sadly, very few examples of the jewellery she produced during this time are thought to have survived, however a rare handful of original designs are still known, including these four works, which can be traced directly back through the family. Each is skillfully executed and illustrates a strong sense of creativity and refinement as well as a fascination with stylised forms and decorative linear patterns. It is thought that Frances particularly admired the work of Lily Day, a staff member at the Art Sheds, after attending her evening classes in enamelling. Indeed, these particular designs may also indicate inspiration from C. R. Ashbee, as she sought to delicately balance fine wirework and enamelled details, with her distinctive mystical imagery. After her son Sylvan was born in 1900, motherhood and children became a significant theme in her work, exemplified in Lot 354. This figure appears in several of her works throughout her career, namely in The Spirit of the Rose, a textile design that Frances adapted for this particular pendant. Some of Frances’ designs were exhibited at St George's Hall, Liverpool in 1900 and again in Turin in 1902, yet after the demise of the Art Sheds the McNair’s financial situation was precarious and they moved back to Glasgow in 1908 where she taught classes in embroidery and metalwork at the School of Art. Latterly her focus turned to watercolours, revisiting themes of motherhood, and thus her venture into jewellery-making was relatively short-lived. Nevertheless, her designs had a lasting impact on the work of artists such as Edgar Simpson and Jessie Marion King, and demonstrate her impact on the development of the Art Nouveau aesthetic.