R. C. Keighley - Forsythia in a Blue Glass Decanter

R. C. Keighley (20th Century) - Forsythia in a Blue Glass Decanter
A striking late 20th-century oil on board by the little-documented artist R. C. Keighley, depicting an exuberant arrangement of yellow forsythia branches displayed in a brilliant blue glass decanter. Signed at the lower right and retaining the original Daler Board manufacturer's label to the reverse.

The flowering branches spread dramatically across the composition, their dark stems extending almost from edge to edge and punctuated by clusters of vivid yellow blossom. Rather than arranging the flowers formally, Keighley allows them to radiate freely from the vessel, giving the still life an unusually energetic and decorative quality. A number of fallen blossoms scattered across the polished tabletop add to the sense of an arrangement freshly gathered and brought indoors.

At the centre sits a substantial blue glass decanter, used here as a vase, with its matching stopper placed beside it on the table. Keighley pays particular attention to the transparency and weight of the coloured glass, building the vessel from passages of turquoise, cobalt, white and deep blue. The decanter and stopper are reflected in the dark polished surface below, providing a strong visual anchor beneath the sprawling branches.

The composition is particularly effective in its use of colour. Brilliant yellow flowers and intense blue glass are set against a deep red curtain, while the surrounding window, tabletop and architectural elements are handled in quieter greys and browns. This strong relationship between the primary colours gives the painting a distinctly decorative character associated with post-war British interior painting.

Forsythia is one of the characteristic flowers of early spring, producing its bright yellow blossom on largely bare branches before the foliage fully develops. Its loose, naturally spreading growth is particularly well suited to Keighley's treatment, allowing the branches to form a network of dark linear accents across the red and grey background.

Little biographical information appears to survive for R. C. Keighley, and the artist is not presently well documented on the secondary market. The painting can nevertheless be dated with greater confidence through the manufacturer's label retained to the reverse. It was painted on fine-grain Daler Board, an English-made prepared painting support widely used by British artists during the post-war period. The form of the blue Daler Board label is consistent with examples dating from around the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The reverse retains the original Daler Board for Oils label, identifying the support as a commercially prepared fine-grain painting board manufactured at Wareham, England. The board corresponds approximately to the standard 20 x 16 inch format, providing a useful piece of evidence for both the painting's British origin and its likely period of execution.

Presented in a broad brown-toned period frame with a narrow pale inner slip.

A particularly appealing decorative still life, combining the brilliant colour of spring forsythia with an unusually attractive blue glass decanter and a strong red, yellow and blue palette. The expansive arrangement, reflected glass and period interior give the painting considerable visual presence despite the artist remaining comparatively little documented.

Artist: R. C. Keighley
Title: Forsythia in a Blue Glass Decanter
Date: Circa late 1970s–early 1980s
Medium: Oil on fine-grain Daler Board
Signed: Signed lower right
Unframed size: 49cm x 39cm
Framed size: 59cm x 49cm
Provenance / Labels: Original Daler Board for Oils manufacturer's label retained to the reverse
Condition: Good vintage condition overall. The painting shows minor age-related surface wear consistent with its age. The period frame has areas of pre-existing surface wear, scratches and small losses, together with some uneven brown-toned colour retouching.