Thomas Mathew Rooke (UK 1842-1942) Original Oil High prices (180K +) Sotheby's & Christies- 24 X 28 inch Museum Artist (Tate, Ruskin, ...)

A lovely oil by famous English painter Thomas Matthew Rooke (1842 - 1942). Historically significant painting depicts parishioners at prayer at Church of San Miguel (Jerez de la Frontera Spain) Circa 1878 Thomas Mathew Rooke was commission by John Ruskin to travel through the Continent in order to draw cathedrals and buildings in danger of falling victim to decay and ruin, thus preserving them as they stood for the future. Oil on canvas -Very collectible work by well listed painter who has high auction (upwards of $ $180,000 'Autumn's Pipe' sold at Sotheby's New York in 2006.) along with being displayed at museums worldwide (Tate, Ruskin, Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, etc..) . Comes professionally framed. Title: 'San Miguel Xeres Spain' Signature: Signed and titled lower left Medium: Oil on stretch canvas Size: c. 24 H x 28 W (inches) framed ....13 1/2 H x 17 1/2"W (inches) site Condition: Overall very good 3 very small patches (see pics) Free domestic shipping! Returns & exchanges: Returns accepted within 30 days of the purchase of the item. However, the buyer is responsible for shipping the item back to us and that cost will not be refunded. We will refund your money for the item as soon as we receive the item back. Please send the item back to us with tracking. About the artist: Thomas Matthews Rooke, R.W.S. was born in London in 1842 and studied at the National School of Design in South Kensington before moving on to become a student at the Royal Academy Schools. When Rooke was twenty-nine years old he applied to work as a designer at Morris & Co. and was made studio assistant to Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, taking over the vacancy left by Burne-Jones's previous assistant, Charles Fairfax Murray. The partnership of Rooke and Burne-Jones proved a happy one. The former had great respect for his master, considering Burne-Jones 'a Demi God or kind of Divine Creature,' and Rooke in turn was affectionately called 'little Rooke' by the 'Divine' artist himself. Rooke became more than simply a studio assistant for Burne-Jones, but also a close friend. He wrote down many of Burne-Jones's conversations during his last few years in the studio with him, creating a lasting record of his master's thoughts and character, and showing the extent of Rooke's involvement in the creation of many of Burne-Jones's works. Rooke was an accomplished painter himself, exhibiting works in oils at the Royal Academy, New Gallery, and Grosvenor Gallery, usually focusing on subjects from the Old Testament and showing influence from the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Some of his major works include the series of The Story of Ruth in the Tate Britain and King Ahab's Coveting in the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth. Merton Russell-Cotes has written of Rooke in his autobiography stating that he was the most renowned of Burne-Jones's assistants, a man of great talent, and that 'Rooke produced his poetry not in verse, but portrayed it in his pictures.' 1878 marked the year that Rooke's duties would go beyond those of assistant and confidant to Burne-Jones. That year he took on a commission by John Ruskin to travel through the Continent in order to draw cathedrals and buildings in danger of falling victim to decay and ruin, thus preserving them as they stood for the future. Burne-Jones had recommended Rooke to Ruskin because of Rooke's strong attention to detail and exacting care; in the letter to Ruskin, Burne-Jones writes that 'there is a very high place in Heaven waiting for him, and HE DOESN'T KNOW IT.' Rooke spent his time between drawing on the Continent and assisting Burne-Jones, and the watercolours commissioned by Ruskin are now in the Ruskin Museum in Sheffield. His time working for Ruskin ended in 1893, but Rooke continued drawing and creating detailed watercolours of buildings and architectural views, being elected an Associate of the Royal Watercolour Society in 1891, and made a full member in 1903.