John Nash still life oil paintings are rare on the open market and in recent years have become particularly sought after. They hold a special place within Nash's work, showing his precision as a draughtsman and his sensitivity to everyday subjects. In 'Summer Flowers', painted circa 1930, he brings the same sharp eye for structure and rhythm that shaped his landscapes to the intimate subject of cut summer flowers. The work brings together his ability to balance natural observation with strong compositional order, using colour and line to create a sense of freshness and immediacy. Flower paintings by Nash are represented in public collections, including the Tate and the Government Art Collection, yet remain far fewer in number than his landscapes. This work comes from the family of a collector who was friends with Nash and who collected a unique group of his paintings in the 1930s that we have been fortunate to sell over the course of the last year.

Andrew Lambirth, author of 'John Nash, Artist and Countryman' has written the following on this work:

'Most of Nash's studio still-lifes of flowers were painted in the 1920s and early 1930s. Generally, he was more interested in painting botanical subjects, which are quite different in intent. Flower paintings are first and foremost intended to be beautiful, a celebration of nature's bounty: they are about the pattern and colour of foliage and bloom, and offer formal possibilities of arrangement and design not usually available to the botanical artist. Botanical studies are principally about scientific accuracy, with beauty a secondary concern. This set-up, with the vase of flowers (red hot poker, echinops, sea holly, buddleia and possibly rudbeckia) positioned at the corner of the table, with a group of large art books behind, is a familiar one. That, and a filled jug or vase in front of a window, were his two favourite flower painting formats.

John Nash was a central figure in 20th Century British Art, closely associated with the revival of landscape painting between the wars. Self-taught, and the younger brother of Paul Nash, he forged an independent path with a more naturalistic, lyrical style. He was also a distinguished war artist in both world wars. His work is represented in major public collections including the Tate and the Imperial War Museum and there have been a significant exhibition of his work in recent years at Towner Gallery, Eastbourne. Nash is now recognised as one of the most important British painters of the inter-war period.