Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA Six Persian Cats and Kittens British Oil on Canvas
Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA Persian Cats with Teacups Early 20th Century Oil Painting
An important early 20th-century British oil painting by Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA, depicting six long-haired Persian cats and kittens gathered mischievously around an elegant tea service, circa 1910–1920.
Highlights
• Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA
• British, early 20th century
• Persian Cats with Teacups
• Circa 1910–1920
• Oil on canvas
• Six long-haired Persian cats and kittens
• Decorative tea service with floral teapot, cup and saucer
• Signed “A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.” lower left
• Further signed or inscribed “A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.” verso
• Original apparently unlined canvas
• Winsor & Newton, London prepared-canvas stamp verso
• Canvas approximately 46.5 cm high x 73 cm wide
• Framed approximately 64 cm high x 89.5 cm wide x 4 cm deep
• Recently fitted Larson Juhl LJS Prague decorative gilt wood frame
• Documented Clevedon Salerooms provenance
• Exact composition subsequently published as Persian Cats with Teacups
• Comparable feline compositions documented by Christie’s and Bonhams
• Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution included
Introduction
A captivating and highly decorative early 20th-century British oil painting by Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA, depicting six long-haired Persian cats and kittens gathered mischievously around an elegant tea service.
Dating to circa 1910–1920, the substantial horizontal composition brings together the feline subjects for which Talboys became particularly known with an engaging domestic narrative.
At the left, two grey kittens tumble together within a wicker basket while another kitten turns directly towards the viewer. At the centre, a white Persian kitten reclines inquisitively beside a cup and saucer, accompanied by a second white cat sitting upright behind.
Completing the group, another grey Persian peers from behind the large floral teapot at the right.
The combination of animal portraiture, decorative still-life detail and gentle narrative humour makes this an especially engaging example of Talboys's feline work.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA
Nationality: British
Title: Persian Cats with Teacups
Date: Circa 1910–1920
Medium: Oil on canvas
Signature: Signed “A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.” lower left
Verso: Further signed or inscribed “A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.”
Canvas: Apparently original and unlined
Canvas stamp: Winsor & Newton, London
Subject: Six long-haired Persian cats and kittens with a tea service
Frame: Recently fitted Larson Juhl LJS Prague decorative gilt wood frame
Catalogue Note
Talboys has arranged the six cats across the broad tabletop in a carefully balanced sequence of overlapping forms, combining playful movement with quieter moments of observation.
At the left, two animated grey kittens occupy a woven wicker basket. Their interaction immediately establishes the narrative character of the composition, while the third kitten alongside looks directly towards the viewer.
The centre is dominated by two white long-haired cats. One reclines prominently across the tabletop beside the displaced cup and saucer, while the second sits upright behind, introducing height and depth.
At the right, another grey Persian emerges from behind the imposing floral teapot. Its tilted head and watchful expression create a particularly engaging final focal point.
The cats are united by the rich green table covering, while the dark atmospheric background isolates their pale coats and enhances the luminosity of the porcelain.
Talboys employs a restrained but effective palette dominated by silvery greys, creamy whites and deep green. Blue, pink, cream and floral decoration across the tea service introduces smaller accents of colour.
The long coats are constructed through layered brushwork and subtle tonal transitions. Softer handling describes the fur, while the porcelain is rendered with comparatively precise edges and carefully placed highlights.
The tea service is integral to the narrative rather than functioning simply as decorative still life. The displaced cup and saucer suggest the mischievous activity of the assembled cats and transform the composition into a small domestic drama.
No manufacturer is presently attributed to the porcelain, as the available visual evidence is insufficient to identify a particular factory or maker.
The Artist
Agnes Augusta Talboys was a British painter particularly associated with paintings of cats and kittens.
Her surviving oeuvre demonstrates a sustained interest in feline subjects, including long-haired and Persian cats depicted individually and within elaborate multi-animal compositions.
Documented works include Kittens on a Basket, A Restful Moment, Mischief, Kittens, Roses and an Oriental Rug on a Table, Persian Blues before a Fan, Persian Blue and Cotton Reel and Pussies in Conference.
Her paintings frequently combine cats with decorative domestic objects including baskets, textiles, flowers and other accessories, creating small narrative interiors rather than straightforward animal studies.
Talboys was associated with Bristol and the Royal West of England Academy, using the professional designation RWA.
Published sources disagree concerning her precise birth year. Accordingly, no disputed birth date is presented here as established fact.
Royal West of England Academy
Talboys's association with the Royal West of England Academy forms an important part of her professional identity.
She exhibited feline subjects during her career and incorporated the initials RWA into her professional signature.
Her connection with the Academy extended beyond exhibition activity. Following her death, Talboys left a significant bequest to the Royal West of England Academy which contributed to the development of its collection.
This institutional association provides important context for the prominent “R.W.A.” designation incorporated into both the signature and verso inscription of the present painting.
The “A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.” Signature
The painting is signed lower left:
A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.
The reverse additionally bears:
A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.
This combination of a signature on the painted surface and a further signature or inscription on the reverse has direct parallels among Talboys paintings documented by major auction houses.
Christie’s catalogued A Restful Moment, an oil on canvas measuring approximately 49.5 x 74.9 cm, signed “A. Augusta Talboys. R.W.A.” and additionally bearing her name and RWA designation on the reverse.
Christie’s also documented Kittens, Roses and an Oriental Rug on a Table, approximately 43.2 x 70.4 cm, again carrying Talboys's signature on the painted surface and her name and RWA designation verso.
The corresponding signing practice provides useful comparative evidence when considered alongside the present painting's subject, technique, dimensions and documented auction attribution.
Comparable Works
Several documented paintings by Talboys provide particularly useful comparisons.
A Restful Moment and Kittens, Roses and an Oriental Rug on a Table, documented by Christie’s, are both substantial horizontal feline compositions of dimensions notably close to the present 46.5 x 73 cm canvas.
Kittens on a Basket, also documented by Christie’s, provides an especially relevant comparison for the wicker-basket motif appearing at the left of the present composition.
Bonhams has additionally offered Pussies in Conference, another substantial multi-cat composition by Talboys. That work is documented as dated 1923, demonstrating the continuation of her sophisticated feline subjects into the early 1920s.
These works provide useful comparative evidence for Talboys's subject matter, compositional formats and signing practices.
Dating
The painting itself is undated.
It is catalogued here as circa 1910–1920 on stylistic, material and comparative grounds.
Talboys is documented producing accomplished Persian-cat and multi-cat subjects during the opening decades of the 20th century, while comparable paintings demonstrate closely related subject matter, horizontal formats and signing practices.
The circa 1910–1920 dating should therefore be understood as a considered scholarly assessment rather than a documented year of execution.
Winsor & Newton Canvas Stamp
The reverse retains a partially visible Winsor & Newton, London prepared-canvas stamp.
Winsor & Newton was an established supplier of professional artists' materials during Talboys's working career.
The surviving stamp provides useful material evidence concerning the prepared canvas employed for the painting. It is not, however, treated as sufficient evidence by itself to establish a precise date of execution.
Published Reference
The exact composition has subsequently been reproduced in published online biographical research concerning Agnes Augusta Talboys under the descriptive title Persian Cats with Teacups (undated).
When offered by Clevedon Salerooms in January 2025, the painting was catalogued descriptively as Persian cats with teapot, cup and saucer.
No evidence has presently been identified establishing an original artist-given title.
Persian Cats with Teacups is therefore retained as a published descriptive title rather than represented as a documented title assigned by Talboys herself.
Provenance
Private collection.
Clevedon Salerooms, Bristol, Interiors Sale, 9 January 2025, Lot 556, catalogued as Agnes Augusta Talboys RWA, Persian cats with teapot, cup and saucer.
Acquired from the above sale by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Dimensions
Overall framed:
Height: 64 cm
Width: 89.5 cm
Depth: 4 cm
Canvas:
Height: 46.5 cm
Width: 73 cm
Frame
Presented in a recently fitted Larson Juhl LJS Prague moulded decorative gilt wood frame.
The frame has been selected to complement the historic character, colouring and substantial horizontal composition of the painting while providing strong decorative wall presence.
The frame is of recent manufacture and is not represented as original to the painting.
Condition Report
The painting presents attractively overall for its age.
The canvas appears to retain its original unlined support. The reverse displays age-related foxing, staining and discolouration consistent with an historic canvas.
Craquelure is visible across areas of the painted surface and is consistent with the age and materials of an early 20th-century oil painting.
There appear to be areas of historic touch-up or intervention, particularly within portions of the darker background.
From visual examination and the available photographs, the paint surface appears stable and presents well overall.
The recently fitted frame displays minor handmade and handling imperfections commensurate with its construction and use.
No invasive conservation examination, ultraviolet examination or scientific analysis has been undertaken.
Please study all photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the condition report.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
Owing to the historic framed presentation of the artwork, it will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.
International buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.
Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, exhibition history and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.
Attribution and Research
The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis, dating and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available physical evidence, historic inscriptions, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.
These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.
Every artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.
Additional photographs and further information are available upon request.
