“Miss Flora Scales has three pictures, painted in the bold decided style which has been favourably commented upon on more than one occasion. She has turned to rural life for her inspiration, and all three pictures are on similar lines, horse teams drawing heavy farm drays. The theme is simple but well treated, and all three works [The Day’s Work [1] [BC129], The Day’s Work [2] [BC140], Untitled [Homewards] [BC004]], but No 28 [BC004] particularly, are distinctly good.”
BC129
The Day’s Work
[1]
One white horse drawing a laden cart. Man in hat seated on load, head turned over right shoulder. Horse and driver face viewer on slight diagonal showing right flank. Background shows cows in fields, hills and trees.
Other title(s)
A Day's Work
Date
c. 1917
Object type
painting
Medium and materials
oil on board
Dimensions
410x630mm
Place Made
New Zealand
Inscriptions
LL brown brush point Flora Scales
Verso UL stamp International Art Centre
Verso Centre (not in artist's hand) Flora Scales The Days Work £5-5-0
Verso LR elliptical red sticker Art Dealer & Picture framer 55 Ghuznee Street Wellington New Zealand
Details
Provenance
Sold by auction at International Art Centre, Auckland, New Zealand, Modern, Contemporary & Collectable Art, 08.12.2011, Lot 128
Sold by auction at International Art Centre, Auckland, New Zealand, Important and Rare Art, 09.04.2019, Lot 61
Current Collection
Private Collection
Current Location
Nelson, New Zealand
General notes
Alternative title, A Day's Work, taken from the exhibition Flora Scales at The Suter Te Aratoi o Whakatū, Nelson, New Zealand, 2018.
Exact date unknown, dated according to the first exhibition of the work at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts Annual Exhibition, Wellington, New Zealand, 1917.
There were two oil paintings titled The Day’s Work [The Day’s Work [1] [BC129] and The Day’s Work [2] [BC140]] which were exhibited together at the following three Art Society exhibitions:
New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts Annual Exhibition, Wellington, 1917, no. 232, £18.18.0
Otago Art Society Exhibition, New Zealand, 1917, no. 64, £5.5.0
Canterbury Society of Arts Exhibition, 1918, no. 23, £5.5.0
The dimensions given with the illustration of The Day's Work [2] [BC140] in the Canterbury Society of Arts Catalogue, 1918, are 24” x 18” indicating that the two canvases were approximately the same size.
Exhibitions
Related work
References
‘Art Society’s Exhibition’, Press, 13 March 1918, pg 8
Acknowledgments
Photos by Tim Cuff