Ralston Gudgeon RSW Scottish - Mallard Duck Large Original Watercolour 60x45cm

Original Watercolour

Ralston Gudgeon RSW — Watercolour — “Mallard Drake in Flight”

Striking Scottish wildlife painting by a Royal Scottish Society artist.

Key Details

Artist: Ralston Gudgeon RSW (1910–1984)
Title: “Mallard Drake in Flight”
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Support: Paper
Signature: Signed lower right
Dimensions: Image: 45 × 60 cm (17.7 × 23.6 in)
Framed: 70.5 × 85.5 cm (27.8 × 33.7 in)
Condition: Artwork and frame in Excellent condition; mount very slightly discoloured with one or two spots. Please see images.
Provenance: Private UK collection; professionally framed by Strathearn Crafts, Perthshire.

Description

A vibrant and masterfully executed wildlife painting by renowned Scottish artist Ralston Gudgeon RSW, capturing a mallard drake in mid-flight as it alights over still waters. This is a very imposing piece showing the artist at his very best. Gudgeon's precision and delicacy with watercolour bring the bird to life, from the rich iridescent green of its head to the vivid blue wing bar and subtle wetland reflections.

This is a superb example of 20th-century Scottish wildlife art — equally suited to the serious collector or as a refined decorative feature in a countryside home, study, or sporting setting. Presented in an ornate gilt frame with cream mount, titled to the mount and ready to hang. You will not find a better work by Gudgeon.

Keywords: Wildlife art, British watercolour, bird painting, mallard duck, sporting interest, decorative art, signed original, Scottish artist, collector’s piece.

About the Artist

Ralston Gudgeon RSW (1910–1984) was a distinguished Scottish painter, best known for his finely detailed studies of birds and animals in gouache and watercolour. Born in Dumfries, he studied at the Glasgow School of Art in 1933 and was awarded the prestigious Torrance Memorial Award by the Glasgow Institute. In 1937, he became the youngest artist ever elected to the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW).

Gudgeon exhibited extensively with the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours. His works were collected by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Zoological Society of London and are represented in major public and private collections. Auction results in recent years reflect sustained collector interest in his mid-sized wildlife watercolours.

Estimated Date

Mid 20th century.

Provenance & Notes

From a private UK collection. The artwork was professionally framed by Strathearn Crafts, 30 Drummond Street, Muthill, Perthshire — an established Scottish framer known for quality presentation.