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Lot Essay
Boswells were a firm of art dealers in Norwich, and at the beginning of Munnings's career it was through the Norwich Art Circle and Boswells that his pictures became known and started to sell at moderate prices.
Munnings recalls the advice he received from Boswells in the early days, 'Jim Boswell said, "Sell it and paint another." "Quite right, quite right," said his thoughtful and more refined brother Sam. "Don't do pot-boilers." So spake a brother artist. Temptations to make money were worse than temptations to play. Boswell's sold antiques and pictures, mostly of the Norwich School, which were hung in a very good top lit gallery. Upstairs was a room full of bottles, brushes and varnish, where old pictures were restored by an expert named Whiting. If I was in Norwich on a visit, and so inclined, in the absence of Mr. Whiting, I painted pictures of all kinds in that room, and Boswell bought them for a few guineas' (see A.J. Munnings, An Artist's Life, Bungay, 1950, p. 82).
Munnings recalls the advice he received from Boswells in the early days, 'Jim Boswell said, "Sell it and paint another." "Quite right, quite right," said his thoughtful and more refined brother Sam. "Don't do pot-boilers." So spake a brother artist. Temptations to make money were worse than temptations to play. Boswell's sold antiques and pictures, mostly of the Norwich School, which were hung in a very good top lit gallery. Upstairs was a room full of bottles, brushes and varnish, where old pictures were restored by an expert named Whiting. If I was in Norwich on a visit, and so inclined, in the absence of Mr. Whiting, I painted pictures of all kinds in that room, and Boswell bought them for a few guineas' (see A.J. Munnings, An Artist's Life, Bungay, 1950, p. 82).