Lot 128
FRANCIS CAMPBELL BOILEAU CADELL R.S.A., R.S.W. (SCOTTISH 1883-1937)
THE WHITE SANDS, IONA
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Evening Sale ft. A Century of Scottish Colourists | Lots 88 to 168 | Thursday 04 June 2026 from 6pm
Description
Signed, oil on board
Dimensions
35.5cm x 43cm (14in x 17in)
Provenance
Aitken Dott, Edinburgh
Christie's, Glasgow, 11 December 1986, Fine Scottish and Topographical Paintings and Drawings, lot 239, where purchased by the previous owner
Christie's, London, Modern British Art Day Sale, 13 December 2012, lot 270 (as ‘The View of the White Sands, Iona’) where acquired by the present owner
Footnote
The White Sands, Iona is an idyllic view of the Hebridean island which inspired the Scottish Colourist F. C. B. Cadell for over twenty-years and is the subject of many of his most cherished works. It was painted before the First World War, during one of his first visits to Iona, which had found favour with a growing number of artists since the mid-nineteenth century. Amongst them were Cadell’s friends John Duncan and James Paterson, who were co-founders with him of the Society of Eight exhibiting society in 1912. He may also have been encouraged to venture there due to his friendship with Ivar Campbell, the nephew of the 9th Duke of Argyll, who owned the island. In turn, Cadell was to introduce his fellow Colourist, S. J. Peploe, to Iona in 1920 and they were both to return virtually every summer for the rest of their lives.
Iona’s attractions are many and varied and had an immediate impact on Cadell. As Alice Strang has written:
‘the ever-changing light conditions on Iona, the effect of sunshine on the shallow water along the beaches of dazzling white sand, the intensity and range of colour of the surrounding sea, sky and land, the complexity of its rock formations and wide range of views within and beyond the island, inspired Cadell time after time.’ (Alice Strang, F. C. B. Cadell, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, p.19).
In contrast to his studio-based practice in Edinburgh, whilst on Iona Cadell favoured working outdoors. The White Sands, Iona encapsulates his joyful response to the beauty of his natural surroundings. He deftly captured machair, shoreline with geological features, blue sky and the view over to neighbouring Mull with distinct brushstrokes and a palette of creamy, richly-coloured oil paints, layered and blended ‘wet on wet’.
Cadell’s Iona works proved popular and sold well not least in the Society of Eight’s annual exhibitions. Such is their importance that a room was dedicated to them in the major retrospective exhibition of his work held at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 2011. Examples are held in numerous public collections, including those of the National Galleries of Scotland, Aberdeen Art Gallery, The Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow and The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum.