🖼️ Oliver Clare Signed Victorian Oil Painting – Floral Still Life & Bird Nest c.1880

🌸 British Antique Fine Art | 🎨 Oil on Canvas | ✍️ Signed by Listed Artist | 🪺 Starling Eggs in Moss | 🖤 Ornate Gilt Frame | 💎 Collectible Masterpiece

🎨 Subject & Medium

• Subject: Beautiful late Victorian still life depicting vibrant blossoming flowers paired with a delicate bird’s nest and starling eggs, set against a richly detailed woodland mossy background

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Date: Circa 1880 (late 19th century)

• Title: Still Life of Blossom & Bird’s Nest

🏞️ Composition & Technique

This exceptional still life captures the peaceful intimacy of the natural world through the eyes of a master Victorian painter. Oliver Clare’s work is known for its meticulous botanical detail, and this piece stands as a perfect example of his unique skill.

In the foreground, soft-petalled white and pink blossoms bloom across a moss-covered woodland bank, arranged with natural grace. Nestled quietly to the side lies a finely rendered straw nest, housing four pale blue starling eggs, their smooth surface contrasting beautifully with the surrounding wild textures.

The color palette is refined and harmonious — earthy greens and browns, warm golden ochres, and soft pastel bloomscreate an immersive woodland atmosphere. Clare masterfully balances shadow and light, giving the composition a glowing, lifelike depth.

His brushwork is famously delicate and almost invisible to the eye, with much of the form built through stippling — tiny, layered dots used to render the fine texture of petals, moss, and feathered twigs. This technique, passed down from his father George Clare, gives the surface a textured richness and a soft, luminous finish.

The overall style blends Victorian still-life realism with Pre-Raphaelite naturalism, portraying nature not just with accuracy, but with emotional tenderness and poetic sensitivity.

✍️ Signed

• Signed clearly in the lower corner by the artist: Oliver Clare

🧑🎨 About the Artist

Oliver Clare (1853–1927) was a celebrated British still life painter, part of the renowned Clare family of artists. Known for his exquisite paintings of flowers, fruit, and birds’ nests, he developed a distinctive style rooted in precision, subtle color, and near-invisible brushwork.

Clare exhibited widely, including at the Royal Academy, Royal Society of Artists, Walker Art Gallery Liverpool, and the Royal Society of British Artists. His works remain highly collectible, with auction results exceeding $21,000 USD at top houses like Bonhams.

🖤 Frame

• Housed in the original ornate gilt wood frame, featuring a richly carved, decorative Rococo-style border

• Its antique finish and sculptural design perfectly complement the painting's Victorian heritage

• Fitted with a hanging thread and ready for display

📏 Frame Dimensions 
Height: 33 cm
Width: 38.5 cm
Depth: 5 cm

• A beautifully proportioned piece ideal for collectors or interior decorators

🏷️ Provenance

• From F.R. Haynes Fine Art of Broadway

• Formerly in a private Eastern Shire collection

• Labelled by Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd

• An authenticated and desirable example of Clare’s finest work

❤️ Why You’ll Love It

✅ A signed original by Victorian floral artist Oliver Clare
✅ Features highly detailed blossoms, moss, and a symbolic bird’s nest
✅ Rendered in fine brushwork and rare stippling technique
✅ Set in its original antique frame
✅ A timeless and heartfelt representation of nature — ideal for heirloom display

🔍 Condition

• Painting: Offered in good antique condition; canvas relined with foxing, craquelure, and minor age-related marks

• Frame: Solid and structurally sound with some chips, dust, and surface wear consistent with age and display

🌍 Worldwide Shipping Available
Professionally packaged and fully insured for safe international delivery.

🖼️ Available exclusively through Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

📩 Inquire now to secure this unique piece