260 - James Collinson,

James Collinson, British 1825-1881- Breton Girl with Rabbits; oil on canvas, bears various labels, including an exhibition label inscribed with the artist's details, to the upper stretcher bar, 51.2 x 35.9 cm. Provenance: (Possibly) Art gallery in Montpellier Parade, Harrogate. A.J. Braithwaite, Ulster Bank. Sotheby's, London, 28 October 2008, lot 106. Private Collection, UK. Exhibited: Belfast Art and Industrial Exhibition, 1895, no. 3. Note: Collinson was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and was once engaged to Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), although they never got married.He attended the Royal Academy Schools, and trained to be come a priest at a Jesuit college, yet he never entered priesthood.He lived in Brittany for the latter part of his life, where he must have painted the present work. The present work is typical of the artist's delicately-painted, idealised scenes, including his 'Going to service' which sold at Christie's, London, on 23 June 2020, lot 4 (£4,375), and his 'To let', another genre scene featuring a similar sitter, which sold at Christie's, London, on 29 July 2020, lot 67 (£47,500).