Attributed to John Tunnard, A.R.A. (1900-1971)

This painting will be included in a list of 'Probable, but not certain' works by Tunnard in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné by Brian Whitton.

It seems likely that this intriguing oil was painted by John Tunnard, though it lacks a signature and is not listed in Tunnard's records. However, the writing on the stretcher looks much like Tunnard's. He was corresponding with Henry Moore about art matters in 1937 and probably later as well. In addition, the sea was often involved in some way or another by Tunnard. Assuming the painting was done by Tunnard, it would almost certainly have been in the mid- to late 1930s. At this time, his record-keeping was still intermittent, so the lack of any mention of this painting would not be a surprise. The fact that 'Homage' was spelt incorrectly would also not be a surprise, as Tunnard did occasionally get his spelling wrong.