National Galleries of Scotland acquires work by renowned Glasgow Boys artist Joseph Crawhall

A painting by one of the most outstanding watercolourists of his day, Glasgow Boys artist, Joseph Crawhall (1861–1913), has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland.

Now on display at the National in Edinburgh, Cock Pheasant with Foliage and Berries is a superb addition to the national collection. The work is a perfect example of Crawhall’s distinctive and exquisite watercolours of animals and birds. Acquired through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, it joins a collection of other works by Crawhall, including the incredibly popular, The White Drake.

This spectacular new addition to the collection is one of Crawhall’s most poised works, demonstrating his skill in studying birds. Cock Pheasant with Foliage and Berries depicts a pheasant sitting elegantly among berries, proudly puffing out its chest. Crawhall expertly captures the essence and character of the bird by embracing the quirks of his chosen material. This includes using the colour, weave and surface finish of the linen to influence the overall effect of the painting. Using bodycolour – watercolour mixed with white pigment to make it opaque – he beautifully plays with light, adding sheen to the berries and the pheasant’s head.

The galleries are currently home to around forty works by Crawhall, including sketches and illustrated letters he exchanged with the other Glasgow Boys. However, Cock Pheasant with Foliage, a work dating from 1906, truly illustrates the artist’s passion for wildlife. Sometimes studying animals for hours at a time, Crawhall would then return to the studio to produce incredibly accurate works from memory. His stunning artwork was even praised by experts in animals and birds, who testified to the accuracy of his paintings.

An artist hugely admired by fellow artists and Scottish collectors, Crawhall developed his own technique for painting such vivid and beautiful images. It was his interest in Japanese prints and Chinese wash drawings on silk which inspired watercolours like this one, which is painted on linen. The elongated format of Cock Pheasant with Foliage and Berries and the branches which frame the image, are likely inspired by the compositional techniques of Japanese prints. His use of brush lines to define the bird’s feathers may also have been influenced by the black outlines typically seen in Japanese woodblock prints.

Crawhall was known as a key figure in the Glasgow Boys, a group who rebelled against stuffy Edinburgh-based art establishment, instead painting subjects drawn from everyday life. But unlike the other Glasgow Boys, apart from Arthur Melville, he specialised in watercolours and was the only member of the group to focus on painting animals.

The National Galleries of Scotland is grateful to Sotheby’s Tax & Heritage Department for the role it played in steering this painting to the collection.

Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Joseph Crawhall’s watercolour painting, Cock Pheasant with Foliage and Berries, is a welcome addition to the National Galleries of Scotland’s collection through the Arts Council England’s Acceptance in Lieu Scheme. As a prominent member of the Glasgow Boys, Crawhall’s brilliant work is already well-represented in the galleries and this latest outstanding addition will further enrich our understanding of this wonderful Scottish artist and Scottish Art of the period.”

Helen Birchenough, Chair, Acceptance in Lieu Panel, said: “I am delighted that ‘Cock Pheasant with Foliage and Berries’ by Joseph Crawhall has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland through the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme. This painting is a fine example of Crawhall’s work. It is in brilliant condition and will help to enhance the National Galleries of Scotland’s representation of Crawhall. I hope that this example will encourage others to use the scheme and continue to support our national collections.”

Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National Galleries of Scotland, said: “We are elated to have acquired ‘Cock Pheasant with Foliage and Berries’ by Joseph Crawhall for the national collection, through the generosity of the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. Crawhall’s work was hugely popular with Scottish collectors, notably Sir William Burrell (1861–1958). Both ‘The White Drake’ and ‘Cock Pheasant with Foliage and Berries’ were originally part of the outstanding collection of the Paisley thread manufacturer, William Allan Coats (1853–1926). Re-united at the National, these two outstanding watercolours demonstrate the evolution of Crawhall’s technique and his uncanny ability to capture the beauty of animals and birds.”