Three Against One by Sir William Russell Flint

Provenance:
Lyon & Turnbull, "British & European Paintings", auction, London, 30 April 2014, lot 32
Private Estate, Toronto

Exhibited:
The Fine Art Society, London, January 1958

From the beginning of his career, Flint’s watercolours were celebrated by critics and institutions alike, including the Royal Academy of Arts in London. His depictions of beautiful young women in various stages of undress garnered him great popularity. His favourite muse was Cecilia Green, whom he met in June of 1953 at the age of seventy-three years old. Here she is depicted in a French vaulted cellar with three other female figures. At right, a woman standing waits with her arms crossed while the two seated appear to be involved in an animated discussion, pointing at the wooden, metal structure in the centre of the room or the lone figure on the other side. Leaning against the wall with downcast eyes, she stands holding a basket, her pink camisole slipping tantalisingly off her shoulder. Green modelled for Flint until the mid-1960s, adopting various roles, such as a Spanish gypsy, as shown here.