When this portrait of a young woman was first exhibited in the early 1930s, critics remarked on its “intensity and vital quality”, “the charming head” and the “wonderful life-like expression”.
The 23 x 18in (59 x 44cm) oil portrait by Newlyn School painter Harold Harvey (1874-1941) had lost none of its appeal as it was taken to £13,000 at Penzance auction house David Lay (18% buyer’s premium) on October 31. Kit was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1931 and at Frost & Reed in Bristol the following year. It had been owned since the 1970s by a private collector in Penzance. Estimated at £6000-8000, it drew bids from a private buyer and a commission bid left by a “well-known gallery” before the latter was successful.