David Jagger R.O.I. (British, 1891-1958)


The Silk Scarf signed and dated 'JAGGER - 25' (lower left); further signed and titled 'The Silk Scarf/David Jagger' (on a label attached to the frame)oil on canvas89.3 x 69.1 cm. (35 1/8 x 27 1/4 in.)
|ProvenanceSale; Sotheby's, Billingshurst, 2 June 1987, lot 1427 Sale; Bonhams, London, 15 June 2004, lot 82, where purchased byPrivate Collection U.K.Sale; Christie's, London, 22 August 2007, lot 522Private Collection, U.K.ExhibitedSheffield, Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield Society of Artists Annual Exhibition, 1926London, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, 1925, cat.no.208 (as Portrait Study)LiteratureThe Times, 23 January 1925 (ill.b&w)The identity of the sitter is currently unknown, however it is highly likely that she was a model associated with The Tatler, a society magazine Kitty Jagger, the artist's wife occasionally appeared in. The painting was first exhibited at Burlington House in London with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, where it was described as 'a bold piece of work that won approval' (Sheffield Telegraph, 4 September 1926). When exhibited the following year at the 46th Annual Exhibition of the Sheffield Society of Artists it was singled out for praise by the art critic of the Sheffield Independent, who vividly described 'A black-haired woman with a powdered face and clear-cut features, stands with one hand on her hip and looks half-contemptuously at us. It is a striking piece of work.' (Sheffield Independent, 4 September 1926).We are grateful to Timothy Dickson for compiling this catalogue entry.