My Artist Grandfather (Robert Sivell)

The sign for Sivells Pub in the Glasgow Studen Union

Select a painting below to see a larger image

Robert Sivell

self portrait in oil

“Twilight”
A portrait of my Great Grandfather
“When you are old and grey and full of sleep”

"For Agnes"
a portrait of Agnes Wallace, the artist's niece, from April, 1926.

Portrait of a Girl, at left, recently (2006?) changed hands at auction; the new owner sent me this photograph!

It has been identified as a portrait of Nancy Hunter, daughter-in-law of my maternal Great Auntie Kate Sayers Hunter. Nancy Hunter is the subject of several of Bob's portraits, including "The Senorita" owned by the Perth Art Gallery, and these two owned by my mother:

Portrait of Agnes Sivell
This painting was given to Bob's sister Henrietta, and has remained in the family. The pose here is similar to the pose held by Agnes included in Bob's full-length family portrait.

Kenneth Dike,sat for these portraits when a student at the University of Aberdeen. Is this the late Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike, Vice-Chancellor of U. of Ibadan, Nigeria?

Portrait of Baby Elspeth (Mother)

My mother as a baby in a rougher sketch

Nurse Violet Eleanor Reid, G.M.
This is a photo of a drawing commissioned by the Imperial War Museum in 1942. My sister owns another original portrait of this nurse, very similar to this one, but with a slightly different background.
Apparently the museum has been decommissioned, and the work sold. I would love to know where it is now.

See the Museum Label

My sister Jocelyn

Close portrait of guard with halbierd

"The Halberdier"
oil on wood, 12"x22", signed

“Sugar Loaf Mountain, Ireland”

Belle & Mother, on the Isle of Arran, possible a study for a more finished work,"Washing day, Corrie, Isle of Arran", recently (2006?) resold at auction.

Select here to see larger images of some of these thumbnail portraits Or select the thumbnail to see one enlargement, keep scrolling down for the preview of all the images, including the Aberdeen murals!
The Drawing Book	Belle Isobel Sayers Sivell	My grandmother Belle	My mother with doll
Painting in storage at the Aberdeen Art Gallery	Portrait of my Mother	Young Elspeth in Bed with Book (possibly reading in bed while sick with diptheria)	Elspeth, seated

Portrait of John Hill Willis

This portrait is of a MysteryWoman is on the reverse of a board with the oil sketch of my mother (reading, sick in bed as a child shown above). She may be one of the Morton family from Craigie Hall, near Edinburgh.

Bob's parents

Watercolor Landscape of an unknown location. It is signed (unusual for Bob) and has 1907 painted into the left hand corner. Bob was 19 in 1907.

Left is a poor focus photo of a large, nicely restored painting of Bob's parents and siblings, in storage at Aberdeen Art Gallery. Right is a clearer scan of an older b&w photo of this work. The family members are (left to right) Margaret, Agnes, Bob (facing away), Henrietta, the parents: Robert Sivell and Agnes Wylie Sivell, and John.

Left: Portrait of Sir George Pirie, Right: identity unknown

A portrait of Sam Hunter, Bob's nephew by marriage.

Spring possibly a study (or a sales pitch?) for the Sivell's Pub murals, shows more detail & finish than the mural. Benno Scholtz mentions Bob's concern that murals might not be valued & protected, so he made paintings of key portions of his scenes. The actual murals are on all four walls of a large room.

It is great to know that the Aberdeen student union murals have been retained over the years, and sufficiently valued to be cleaned and restored. They seem to be appreciated still: although the student union has recently sold this downtown property, it seems the murals are to be protected due to the historic interest.

A closeup from the mural wall at left.

Revised 7/24/2009,
Sandra J. Stowell