Charles Ernest Cundall R.A. (British, 1890-1971) New York Harbour signed 'Charles Cundall' (lower left) oil on canvas 51 x 91.5 cm. (20 x 36 in.) Footnotes: Provenance With Guildhall Art Gallery, London Sale; Christie's, 15 April 1993, lot 540, where purchased by the family of the present owner Private Collection, U.K. Charles Ernest Cundall was born in Stafford, Lancashire. He worked for a period at Pilkington's Pottery Company as an apprentice, painting lustre alongside the prominent ceramist and artist Gordon Forsyth. After this he studied at Manchester School of Art before earning a scholarship to the Royal College of Arts in 1912. Tragedy would befall the artist when serving in the First World War, as part of the Royal Fusiliers, he was wounded in the right-arm. Undeterred, Cundall retrained himself to paint with his left-hand before returning to the Royal College of Art and going on to study at Slade under the tutelage of Henry Tonks and Philip Wilson Steer. He travelled extensively, studying briefly in Paris, before being contracted by the War Artists' Advisory Committee and eventually employed as an Admiralty artist focusing on merchant navy subjects. His historic, topographical views are housed in Tate, Imperial War Museum, RAF Museum and extensively throughout U.K. One of the largest natural harbours in the world, New York harbour is depicted here as a vast industrial expanse. The urban metropolis is dappled in a foggy, industrial sunlight with both military vessels but also the iconic New York tugboat. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com