Glyn Philpot R.A. (1884-1937)

Glyn Philpot was one of the leading society portrait painters in Britain during the 1910s and 1920s with his sitters ranging from poet Siegfried Sassoon, opera singer Dame Nellie Melba and actor Paul Robeson to Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and the Duchess of Westminster. He was renowned for his bravura paint handling and celebrated for his ability to paint in the manner of the ‘old masters’. However, in 1930 following a trip to the USA with Henri Matisse, during which they judged the Carnegie International Exhibition, Philpot adopted a much more modern style, which led to newspaper headlines declaring ‘Philpot goes Picasso’.

Syrie Maugham, Patron and Friend

Philpot’s new modern style was admired by the interior designer Syrie Maugham, the former wife of the novelist Somerset Maugham. She had achieved fame for her concept of the ‘white room’, first created in 1932, in which all the furnishings were white. She bought Philpot’s Garden in Nice (Floodlight) (1933), which she displayed in the dining room of her home The Pavilion at Waddeson alongside lamps and vases by Alberto Giacometti, and later acquired Harlequin (Henry Thomas) (1937), a depiction of Philpot’s Jamaican model as a Picasso-esque harlequin, which was hung in her drawing room at 36 Chesham Place, London. In March 1935, Maugham held an exhibition of over 40 watercolours by Philpot in her shop in Bruton Street in London, many of which had been produced during his travels in the Mediterranean. His watercolour study of a fig tree (see image above) may have been a gift to thank Maugham for hosting this exhibition.

Philpot's Modernist Portraits of the 1930s

His painting of Vincent Paravicini is a striking example of Philpot’s modernist portraits of the 1930s, with a much lighter, brighter palette than his earlier work, and tessellated, looser brushstrokes that brought a dynamic energy to his subjects. It is comparable to paintings such as The Man in White (Jan Erland), 1933, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongewara and Portrait of Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, Lord Hailes (1934, private collection). The critic Albert Charles Sewter wrote of such works, "These pictures revealed his consummate mastery of technique, his command of an unusual beauty of surface and colour, and his instinctive grasp of expressive pose and composition… Their rich and sonorous tonality, their strong, unusual and subtly harmonized colour schemes, pointed clearly to the arrival of a master." (A.C. Sewter, Glyn Philpot 1884-1937, London, 1951, p.3).

Liza Maugham and Vincent Paravicini

Philpot was known for his portraits of handsome young men, and here depicts the son of the Swiss Ambassador to Britain, considered to be one of the best-looking men in London. In July 1936, Vincent Paravicini married Liza Maugham, the daughter of Somerset and Syrie Maugham in one of the society weddings of the year, and the glamorous young couple featured in a huge amount of press coverage. Philpot had previously painted Liza in 1934, and his wedding gift to the couple was blank canvas: the portrait of Paravicini was painted as a pendant to Liza’s (which was later cut down to an oval). The couple were to divorce in 1948.

Dreweatts was a sponsor of the 2022 exhibition Glyn Philpot: Flesh and Spirit at Pallant House Gallery and in recent years have become known for sales of Philpot’s work.

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Auction Details

Tuesday 28 October 2025 | 2pm GMT
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE, UK

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Viewing:

• Viewing at Dreweatts London (highlights): 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
  • Tuesday 7 October: 10am - 4pm
  • Wednesday 8 October: 10am - 4pm
  • Thursday 9 October: 10am - 4pm
• Viewing at Dreweatts Newbury (full sale): Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
  • Friday 24 October: 10am-4pm
    
  • Sunday 26 October: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 27 October: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 28 October: 10am-2pm

Further information:
General enquiries: +44 (0) 1635 553 553 | housesales@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com

About Pallant House Gallery

Pallant House Gallery is a leading UK museum and public gallery for modern British art. The gallery explores new perspectives on British art from 1900 to now through an ambitious programme of exhibitions and creative opportunities for all. Dreweatts is proud to be a Principal Partner of the gallery.

Find out more: pallant.org.uk

Opening hours:
Pallant House Gallery, 8–9 North Pallant, Chichester PO19 1TJ
Tuesday – Saturday: 10am–5pm (Last entry 4pm)
Sunday/Bank Holidays: 11am–5pm
Mondays: Closed

Interested in the work of Glyn Philpot? Simon Martin is the author of Glyn Philpot: Flesh and Spirit (2022). This is the first colour monograph on the artist. It was published to accompany the exhibition Glyn Philpot: Flesh and Spirit at Pallant House gallery 14 May – 23 October 2022 | Order a copy