Allegories of the Arts
Screen
1927-1930 (painted)
1927-1930 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This screen was painted by the stage-designer, artist, caricaturist and potter Adrian Paul Allison. He designed and made the screen especially for himself, and it stayed in his London studio until his death in 1959.
The scenes on the screen are painted in oils upon glass and represent an allegory of the arts. While the screen is conventional in form, based on eighteenth century French models, it is decorated with jazzy Art Deco patterns and vibrantly coloured scenes painted in a stylized manner. The panels depict a composer writing music, an artist in his studio painting a still-life, a scene in a theatre, and an author at work. The panels also represent the progress of the day, with the composer working at dawn, the artist painting at midday, the theatre representing a typical evening entertainment, and the author "burning the midnight oil" by working late into the night.
The scenes on the screen are painted in oils upon glass and represent an allegory of the arts. While the screen is conventional in form, based on eighteenth century French models, it is decorated with jazzy Art Deco patterns and vibrantly coloured scenes painted in a stylized manner. The panels depict a composer writing music, an artist in his studio painting a still-life, a scene in a theatre, and an author at work. The panels also represent the progress of the day, with the composer working at dawn, the artist painting at midday, the theatre representing a typical evening entertainment, and the author "burning the midnight oil" by working late into the night.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Allegories of the Arts (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Wooden frame, glass panels painted with oil paints. |
| Brief description | Folding Screen, designed and painted by Adrian Allinson, British, 1927-30 |
| Physical description | Four-fold screen, wood with glass panels which are painted with oils. The scenes depict allegories of the arts: music, painting, dance, and literature. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label | Folding Screen
Designed and painted by Adrian Paul Allinson (1890-1959)
English; late 1920s
The front is painted with allegorical scenes of the arts; the back with decorative patterns.
GIven by Miss Peggy Mitchell-Smith in memory of her sister Mollie.
Allinson first studied medicine but gave this up to study art at the Slade School and then in Paris and Munich. Between 1914 and 1917 he was scenic designer at the Beecham Opera Company. A keen climber and skier he was also poster designer to British Railways (Southern Region).(01/02/1983) |
| Credit line | Given by Peggy Mitchell-Smith in memory of her sister Mollie |
| Object history | Given by Miss Peggy Mitchell-Smith in memory of her sister Mollie. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This screen was painted by the stage-designer, artist, caricaturist and potter Adrian Paul Allison. He designed and made the screen especially for himself, and it stayed in his London studio until his death in 1959. The scenes on the screen are painted in oils upon glass and represent an allegory of the arts. While the screen is conventional in form, based on eighteenth century French models, it is decorated with jazzy Art Deco patterns and vibrantly coloured scenes painted in a stylized manner. The panels depict a composer writing music, an artist in his studio painting a still-life, a scene in a theatre, and an author at work. The panels also represent the progress of the day, with the composer working at dawn, the artist painting at midday, the theatre representing a typical evening entertainment, and the author "burning the midnight oil" by working late into the night. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.88-1982 |
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| Record created | June 6, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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