Abel Hold Portrait Returns Home

 

Thanks to the generosity of Tim and Bunny Midgley now living in Sydney, a portrait by Abel Hold dated1842 has made its way back to Barnsley from America.

Tim has family connections to Cawthorne and bought the work from an American family who had owned the picture for the previous fifty five years. It was purchased by them from a charity shop in Washington and moved with the family to Florida.

“Knowing of Abel’s work, I felt very strongly that this picture of a small girl and a lamb, should be returned to Barnsley and I am delighted that it will form part of the Victoria Jubilee Museum’s collection. Getting it to its resting place was not an easy process and I am very grateful for the assistance of the voluntary group Barnsley Art on Your Doorstep in this respect”.

Barry Jackson of the museum said that they were over the moon about the addition to their collection. ” We are investigating the work and preparing the museum for its display with our other works by the Hold family. We will unveil the portrait in the springtime and the portrait will be on show at the Cooper Gallery from June to August 2014 in the exhibition of the works of forgotten Barnsley artists by Barnsley Art on Your Doorstep.”

You can find examples of Abel Hold’s work on the BBC Your Paintings website http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/abel-hold