W. Duncan, Edwardian Flower Market Street Scene, 1905, Watercolour on Paper

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A charming and accomplished edwardian watercolour by w. Duncan, signed and dated 1905, depicting flower sellers and market vendors within … Read more A charming and accomplished edwardian watercolour by w. Duncan, signed and dated 1905, depicting flower sellers and market vendors within a bustling british urban street scene. The composition centres upon two women conversing beside large wicker baskets filled with freshly cut flowers. Their carefully observed edwardian dress, expressive gestures and colourful floral displays provide an engaging focal point, while numerous vendors and townspeople animate the market beyond. Canvas awnings shelter stalls laden with flowers and produce, while substantial period buildings and shopfronts form an atmospheric architectural backdrop. The visible signage and architectural details add considerable period character and give the scene the immediacy of everyday city life at the beginning of the 20th century. Duncan handles the watercolour medium with confidence, combining delicate transparent washes with more precisely worked passages of detail. Soft architectural tones are enlivened by touches of pink, red, blue and green throughout the figures and flower stalls, creating a particularly attractive balance of colour and atmosphere. Signed w. Duncan lower right and dated 1905, the watercolour is presented under glass with a wide mount in a traditional wooden frame. A highly decorative example of early 20th-century british genre painting, capturing the colour, activity and social character of an edwardian flower market. Artist w. Duncan, british school date 1905 medium / materials watercolour on paper, mounted, glazed and framed measurements height: 78 cm / 30.7 in width: 59 cm / 23.2 in depth: approximately 2.5 cm / 1 in measurements include the frame. See less