Edward Matthew Elliott

Available for sale from Big Sky Fine Art in the English county of Dorset, this original oil painting is by Edward M. Elliott and dates from around 1900.<br> The painting is presented and supplied in a sympathetic contemporary frame (which is shown in these photographs) with a fresh coastal aesthetic to suit the colouration that befits the period of the artwork but allows it to be displayed in modern-day settings.<br> This antique painting is in good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.<br> The painting is signed lower left.<br> <br> Edward Matthew Elliott was a British artist who was active from the end of the nineteenth century until the third decade of the twentieth century. His best work depicts coastal and estuary scenes from journeys to Cornwall. According to his twenty exhibition submissions at the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham from 1920 - 1934 he resided at The Croft, Gorway, Walsall, Staffordshire. He died in March 1955. His birth, marriage and death are all registered within the Walsall district.<br> <br> © Big Sky Fine Art<br> <br> This is an original oil on board painting by the British artist Edward Matthew Elliott. It shows St. Ives harbour in Cornwall at low tide. In the background we see the buff stone houses of the old coastal community; in the mid-ground we see a dozen or so small wooden fishing vessels, grounded on the harbour sands, and in the centre we see three figures, possibly children, who appear to be searching for bait or shells in the wet sands. The distinctive and iconic Smeaton’s Pier, with its three arches, and the old lighthouse is clearly visible along the horizon. The old lighthouse used to stand at the end of the pier. However, in the 1890s Smeaton’s Pier was lengthened by another 300ft and a second slimmer lighthouse was built. The older lighthouse was then discontinued in use. The fact that this painting shows the old lighthouse with the pier extending beyond it suggests that it was painted after the new development, although it is interesting that the artist chose not to capture the new lighthouse as well in this composition. The sky above is pale blue with some low cloud. This is a delightful piece, reminiscent of lazy days spent along this glorious stretch of Cornish coastline.