Herbert and Frank Dicksee – The Pamela Service Collection

Both Herbert and Frank’s fathers were artists; John Dicksee (1817-1905), a portrait painter and Thomas Dicksee (1819-1895), a genre, historical and portrait painter, respectively. Herbert won a scholarship to the Slade School of Art where he was taught by Alphonse Legros (1837-1911) and went on to become one the Edwardian era’s most sought-after animal painters. Undoubtedly influenced by Sir Edwin Landseer, many of Herbert’s works portray a beautifully rendered pet with a charming narrative, in particular My Lady Sleeps and Waiting for Master. Many of Herbert’s sitters were family pets including pugs, bloodhounds and bull terriers – an adorable portrait of Pamela’s bull terrier, William, is included in the present collection. Such was the demand for Herbert’s work that numerous pictures were transcribed into etchings, immaculate examples of which are represented here. Another favourite subject of Herbert’s were the big cats; majestic yet intricately detailed portrayals of lions, tigers and leopards, inspired by those resident at London zoo. A friend is even said to have offered him a lion cub as a pet which, on sober reflection, was declined.

Herbert married Ella Crump in 1896 and they had a son and a daughter, Maurice and Dorothy; Maurice was killed in World War One but Dorothy, Pamela’s mother, went on to study art. She was also executor to his will which included instructions to destroy the majority of his etching plates. Herbert’s work was exhibited throughout the country including the Royal Academy, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts. He was commissioned by King Edward VII to paint a favourite terrier, Caesar.

Frank Dicksee was a seminal figure in the art world of the late 19th and early 20th century. He trained at the Royal Academy Schools where visiting lecturers included Lord Leighton and Sir John Everett Millais who undoubtedly had a marked effect on his mature work. He was elected to the Academy in 1891 before succeeding Aston Webb as President in 1924. Paintings such as The Funeral of a Viking (1893), The Two Crowns (1900) and La Belle Dame Sans Merci (circa 1901) are sumptuous examples of his most dramatic work, rendered with meticulous detail and textural mastery.

Frank was also a superb portrait painter, depicting high society of the day with remarkable finesse and style. He was knighted in 1925 and was named to the Royal Victorian Order by King George V two years later. A man noted for his good manners and kindness he remained a bachelor throughout his life. Predeceasing his younger cousin by some fourteen years, Herbert was executor to Frank’s will, which included the landscapes to be offered in the forthcoming sale, before the collection as a whole passed to his grand-daughter Pamela.