signed lower left; signed and title inscribed verso (‘Herman the Fine Etcher’ inscribed verso)
PROVENANCE:
The Artist’s Estate
Denis Peploe and thence by descent
This elegant and psychologically nuanced portrait depicts Herman Macdonald, younger brother of the painter William ‘Spanish’ Macdonald, himself memorably once portrayed by Cadell as a matador. Little is known about Herman beyond his close association with Cadell and the Edinburgh artistic society, though he appears several times in the artist’s work, including in The Poet, chosen by Cadell as his Diploma Work upon election to the Royal Scottish Academy and now in the RSA collection. An inscription on the verso of Chapeau gives the subtitle: Herman the fine etcher. Cadell captures his friend’s likeness with a sidelong look and half smile, posed in hat and coat in front of a mirror in an intimate, charming portrait.
Painted with remarkable economy and assurance, Chapeau exemplifies Cadell’s ability to fuse portraiture, decoration and modern design into a singular and highly personal visual language. The painting also offers a poignant glimpse into the intimate friendships and creative circles that sustained the artist throughout his life.
About F.C.B. Cadell
Cadell was born in Edinburgh in 1883 and from an early age, showed a precocious talent for art and was producing very capable watercolours and drawings in his early teens. Half French, he was taken to France and Munich by his mother for artistic education and some very fine, freely painted farmyard paintings date from this early period. Despite his sophistication, Cadell’s most natural habitat was the west Highlands, Iona in particular, and he made only a few painting trips to France after the War.
