Drawn on a note written to two friends, it is the only known work she completed that shows her together with artist husband Harold Knight. It depicts the two of them hand-in-hand.
The note, written to Morris and Marjorie Averill, promises that the Knights will come when their friends ask “with bells on! Any day but Monday or Thursday”.
It was part of the estate of the Averills’ granddaughter and is now among the pieces offered by Frank Wilson of Wilsons Antiques at the upcoming Petersfield Antiques Fair, which takes place from August 31-September 2. Organised by Penman Fairs, the event hosts 39 exhibitors and is now in its 45th year.
Wilsons also offers a painting by Knight which the Averills, long-time supporters of Knight’s career, purchased from the Royal Academy in 1953.
The work, Early Morning at the Gypsy Camp, measuring 4 x 6ft (1.22 x 1.83m) and offered for £125,000, is a tableau of morning activity at Iver Common in Buckinghamshire. Knight completed many studies here, returning for days at a time. She was drawn to the temporary nature of the camp and includes a number of distinctive characters in this scene.
