This exquisite late-19th-century watercolour by British artist Jane Sophia Robson (1846-1907) depicts a glass vase of flowers and fruit with insects and snail. In May 1879, it was shown at the Yorkshire Fine Art Exhibition yet it remains one of only two known works by this gifted amateur.

Hailing from Ripon in Yorkshire, Robson’s grandfather James Robson Esquire of Crakehall House was a gentleman of considerable means. As such, she was raised amid comfortable surroundings, likely to include a fine art collection.

Little is known about her artistic training, but at the age of 15, she was sent to ‘Mrs Leeke’s finishing school’ at Panton Hall in Lincolnshire - a magnificent Georgian mansion. Here, too, she was surely inspired by the range of artworks of display. During her time there, both of her parents sadly died, presumably of the same illness, so upon her return, she moved in with her six sisters - Caroline, Charlotte, Sarah, Mary, Edith and Gertrude.

She produced this piece in her thirties and, when exhibited, it was described as “an old master study of flowers in the National Gallery”. It's after a work by Dutch artist Jacob van Walscapelle (1644-1727), which remains in the collection. It’s rendered with finesse, skillfully observed, and beautifully coloured.

Later in life, Robson moved to Ospringe, near Faversham, in Kent where she lived with her cousin George, a magistrate. She returned to Yorkshire to stay with her elderly aunt Elizabeth around 1901.

Held in a later frame with gilt mount and glazed.

Learn more about Jane Sophia Robson in our directory.

Medium: Watercolour on paper
Overall size: 22” x 27” / 56cm x 69cm
Year of creation: c. 1879
Labels & Inscriptions: Exhibition label.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Exhibited: York, Yorkshire Fine Art Exhibition, May 1879.
Condition: Very presentable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Our reference: BRV1911