Mrs Shearer Armstrong, St Ives
Piccadilly Gallery, London, whence acquired by Stanley J. Seeger on 15th December 1983
His sale, Sotheby's London, 14th June 2001, lot 22 whence acquired b♊y the present own🎉er

The sheet is sound with a perforated bottom edge. It is attached to its mount in the corners. There is a small old repair in the upper left corner to an old tear and a small tear 0.5cm long along the bottom edge and one by the bottom of the right edge. The paper has slightly discoloured and there are some minor handling marks to the edges otherwise in good overall condition. Held in a plaster gilt frame under glass; unexamined out of frame. If you have any further queries, please call the 20th Century British Art department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although Ben Nicholson often appeared to be singularly disinterested in his father, he nonetheless admired his work and it is irresistable to compare the beautiful simplicity of his still life work with William Nicholson's ravishing painting, Pears of 1938 (coll. Leeds City Art Gallery).

Shearer Armstrong was a founder member of the St Ives Society of Artists in 1927 and of the Penwith Society of Arts in Cornwall in 1949. A close friend of Nicholson's and an artist herself, she was born in the same year as Ben, and died within a 🍎few months of his death. A closely related drawing of the same date is in the ♑collection of Kettle's Yard, Cambridge.