The Last Purchase, 1921

'The Last Purchase' (also called 'The New Purchase' and 'The Last Lot') is significant in Fred Elwell's career as being the moment of synthesis, in a single painting, of all the strongest elements of his portraiture, still life and room interiors. All are handled meticulously in this, probably Elwell's most important single work. At the age of 85, James Elwell, the artist's father, is portrayed amongst his spoils from the latest antique auction, which he has set out for inspection. The painting captures the intensity and joy of the connoisseur as he repairs a vase with the craftsman's dexterity, and even tenderness. The scene is instilled with the artist's empathy for his subject. His respect for his father's skills leads him to give prominence to the tools of conservation; the paste, brushes, paints and magnifier are in the foreground in a composition which echoes Elwell's earliest still lives of fish. Fred's own fascination for curios is reflected in the almost Pre-Raphaelite sharpness of definition and the juxtaposition of complex patterns.