signed and dated lower centre: Perceval/.48 [sic]
bears inscription verso: Man Thinking in Cane Chair/ with Flowers
bears inscription on frame: 'Portrait of Max Nichols'/ By John de Burgh Perceval [sic]
This painting was executed by John Perceval c1954. In his later years, this and other works from his earlier years were retrieved from storage and signed by the artist. In some cases, as with the present work, these paintings were erroneously dated by the artist.
Art historian Traudi Allen notes that this work is a portrait of fellow artist Charles Blackman, and not Perceval's friend Max Nicholson as implied by the inscription on the frame.
Acquired from the artist, Wagner Art Gallery, Sydney, 1987
Private collection, Sydney
Menzies, Sydney, 8 December 2011, lot 17
Private collection, Melbourne
Allen, T., John Perceval, 1st edition, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1992, p.155
John Perceval, Wagner Art Gallery, Sydney, July 1987, cat.2
