Arthur John Elsley (British, 1860-1952) The joy of spring, 1911 Oil on canvas 36-1/4 x 46-1/4 inches (92.1 x 117.5 cm) Signed and dated lower left: Arthur J. Elsley / 1911 Property from a Private Florida Collection PROVENANCE: Acquired in 2014. LITERATURE: T. Parker, Golden Hours: The Paintings of Arthur J. Elsley 1860-1952, Somerset, 1998, p. 119, illustrated. With its playful children and animal companions, The joy of spring illustrates why Arthur J. Elsley was internationally celebrated for his scenes of Edwardian life. Animals were often featured in Elsley’s work: a cairn terrier served as the subject of his oldest surviving composition, a pencil drawing made at age eleven, and his first work exhibited at the Royal Academy was A portrait of an old pony in 1878. As Terry Parker suggests, the sheep sharing the foreground of The joy of spring may be a returning character, previously seen as a newborn lamb alongside some of the same children, as a shepherd ushers them out of the harsh winter in In from the cold (1911; Parker, p. 119). In the present work, the seasons have changed to warmer, fairer days, and the lamb has grown into a sheep, but old bonds have not weakened. The vibrant daffodils bring the children and sheep together in a bucolic scene of youth. The appeal of Elsley’s compositions is evidenced by their wide reproduction in prints, calendars, and on candy boxes and advertisements. Elsley’s process in the studio incorporated several sources: photographs of both animal and human sitters (such as his daughter Marjorie) for the figures, along with plein air oil sketches and magazine clippings for the landscape passages. The joy of spring’s larger scale and trio of children were inspired, in part, by a falling out with his studio-mate Frederick Morgan, who accused Elsley of appropriating his ideas. This led Elsley toward more complex compositions and "adventurous, multi-figured works on a grander scale" (Parker, p. 11). HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Private collection, acquired in 2014.

Unlined canvas. Stretcher bar creases through center, most noticeable under raking light.
Under UV: varnish fluoresces green unevenly. Possible dashes of inpaint along right edge.
Framed Dimensions 43 X 53 Inches