Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. (British, 1878-1959) A Gypsy Queen Oil on canvas 40 x 30cm. (15 3/4 x 11 3/4in.) Provenance: Lady Violet Munnings, the artist's widow John Walton, Tasborough Hall, Tasborough, nr. Norwich Red Fox Fine Art, Virginia, USA The Artist Group Ltd., New York Sale, Sotheby's, New York, Important 19th Century European Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours, 29 October, 1987, ex-lot 372 Frost & Reed, London Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1989 Munnings first encountered the gypsies, whom he would soon hire as models, while attending the Bungay races in 1899. His fascination with the gypsy community continued throughout the beginning of the 20th century. In particular, his interest grew in the hop pickers in Hampshire who annually travelled to the area to pick hops. Munnings would pay the hop pickers the same day rate as hop picking to pose for him as models. 'Of all my painting experiences, none were so alluring and colourful as those visits spent amongst the gypsy hop-pickers in Hampshire each September. More glamour and excitement were packed in those six weeks than a painter could well contend with. I still have visions of brown faces, black hair, earrings, black hats and black skirts' quoted in An Artist's Life by Sir Alfred Munnings, p.287. The present lots depicts a glamourous female with her jet black hair and stunning pendant earrings. IMPORTANT: This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.