Framing two pastels by Nicholas Raphael de Grandmaison

This Week at the [New] Shop – We recently had the pleasure of working on two beautifully-created pastels on paper, from Russian-born artist Nicholas Raffael de Grandmaison (1892–1978), who lived a fascinating life. His early years in Russia included Military College, and upon graduation, a transfer to East Prussia in 1914 where, during WWI, he endured four years as a prisoner of war. During his time as a P.OW., he began making portraits, and upon release, escaped to England where he attended St. John’s Wood School of Art with help from well-meaning patrons. This launched his career as a portrait artist. In the early 1930s, by then married, Nicholas and his wife settled in Calgary, Canada, where they made their living painting portraits of children. De Grandmaison’s first important commissions came in 1926, and with healthier finances, he began to invest in the wheat market, sinking a great deal of his money into the local corn exchange. When the stock market crashed in 1929, he was financially wiped out. Not only was all of his invested money lost, but commissions completely dried up. He realized that in order to keep making a living from his portraits, he needed subjects of general interest that could be sold to collectors. That brings us to our two portraits. In the spring of 1930 de Grandmaison traveled to northern Manitoba to draw portraits of trappers, prospectors, traders, and Native Americans. Local media praised his efforts and de Grandmaison became known for his in striking pastel portraits of these subjects, building a large body of work dedicated to the same through the 1950’s. It was said that he could capture the very essence of his subjects, as if he could see right through them. The two images pictured here are excellent examples of this work. At our shop they were carefully mounted on archival materials and displayed with just the right matting, inlaid with gold fillets, to set off the colors of the art. All was placed under UV protected glass within gorgeous hand-carved, finished-corner frames in real gold leaf, suitable for both the style and the period of the images. The owner is delighted and will enjoy these beautiful images for years. Artwork of your own come with a great story? We’d love to help preserve it for years of enjoyment. Please Please contact us today, or stop by our NEW Claremont NH shop, now at 131 Broad St., Claremont. We’d love to see you! (Appointments appreciated!)

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