Michael James Talbot’s Painter collection depicts two exceptional Anglo-American artists John Singer Sargent and Francis Millet. Singer Sargent and Millet were two prolific painters in Broadway, Cotswolds in the late 1800’s.
Singer Sargent was born in Florence and studied art in Paris. His beautiful portraits brought him incredible success in both America and England. Sargent produced the masterpiece ‘Carnation Lily Lily Rose’ in 1885, the subjects were Dolly and Polly, the daughters of the illustrator Frederick Barnard. In 1905 Sargent was commissioned to paint the 9th Duke of Marlborough and his American wife at Blenheim Palace.
A keen traveller, upon yearning for a change of medium, Sargent went to Boston to work on murals for public buildings, including the Boston Public Library. He also spent a lot of time across Europe painting striking landscapes. Every year Singer Sargent would return to Venice, his favourite city, to paint canals, palace facades and campos.
Although he never had a wife or children of his own, Singer Sargent was a devoted friend to the Millet family, often producing paintings of Millet’s wife, children and home and garden.
Millet attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at Antwerp, Belgium, in his first year he won an unprecedented silver medal and a gold medal in his second year. Francis Millet’s most famous painting is arguably ‘Between Two Fires’ (1892), which was painted in the 14th Century Abbots Grange mansion in Broadway. Millet lovingly salvaged Abbots Grange from disrepair with the help of William Morris, famed for his Victorian poetry and textile designs. It subsequently became Millet’s studio for many years during his stay in Broadway. Other exceptional creatives to have walked the halls of Abbots Grange include Claude Monet, who was captivated by the Cotswold landscape, and Oscar Wilde who found solace in Abbots Grange while attempting to flee from his own homosexual anguish. Millet married Elizabeth “Lily” Merrill in Montmartre, Paris, Millet’s best man was Mark Twain, one of the greatest American writers and humorists of all time.
Francis Millet tragically died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, he was last seen helping women and children into lifeboats, his body was later recovered and he was laid to rest in Massachusetts.
Michael James Talbot’s homage to these two revered artists comes in the form of two enchanting bronze sculptures. Talbot released these pieces as part of the Broadway Arts Festival; they were snapped up quickly by many American collectors. These two limited edition sculptures are available upon enquiry now, email us at info@calkengallery.com.
