Woolley & Wallis auctioneers has been entrusted with the sale of two significant paintings by celebrated British artist Harry Robert Mileham (1873-1957). Mileham, who represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1899, gained widespread recognition when he won the esteemed Royal Academy Gold Medal in 1903. The final vote was cast by the revered artist Sir Frederick Leighton (1830-1896).
One of the paintings up for auction is the very piece that secured Mileham’s Gold Medal win—The Finding of Moses. This masterpiece played a crucial role in his career, earning him not only the prestigious award but also a Royal Academy travel scholarship that allowed him to study in Italy. The influence of his time there is evident throughout his body of work.
Mileham was known for his biblical, historical, and literary compositions—hallmarks of the academic art tradition of his time—alongside his portraiture. The Finding of Moses captures the powerful Old Testament moment when baby Moses, placed in a basket to escape the Pharaoh’s decree against male infants, is discovered among the Nile’s reeds by the Pharaoh’s daughter. This moment ultimately sets the stage for Moses’ rise to power.
The upcoming sale presents a rare opportunity for collectors and art enthusiasts to acquire these significant pieces of British art history.
The powerful scene is portrayed with a sense of gravitas, conveyed via the figural composition of the characters, the detail of the attendants, their surroundings and the colours used. The onlooker is aware, through these methods, that we are witnessing a very important moment in religious history. Created in oil on canvas the painting has been exhibited at The Royal Academy and Leighton House Museum & Art Gallery. It carries an estimate of £5,000-£8,000 (lot 334).
The second work going under the hammer is titled The Pardoner’s Prologue (a part of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, which refers to a speech given by the Pardoner, a character who sells forgiveness for sins. His prologue is about his admission of his own hypocrisy and greed, while preaching moral lessons to others).
Painted in 1924 the literary scholar Helen Cooper comments: “This work represents the apex of Mileham’s achievement in historical and literary interpretation.” The painting demonstrates Mileham’s detailed interpretation of Chaucer’s text, where he has paid attention to each of Chaucer’s finer details, such as the Miller’s white coat and blue hood and the Pardoner’s long hair. Mileham also used outside sources to add to the scene, such as the Host’s keys, which are based on those of the medieval Town Hall in Calais, France and the small boy on the far right of the picture, which is a portrait of Mileham’s twelve year old son John. Rich, vibrant and full of motion, the viewer is drawn into the action by the ‘sub-scenes’ on canvas and into the finer details. In oil on canvas it carries an estimate of £5,000-£8,000 (lot 335).
Speaking about the significance of the two paintings coming to market, Woolley & Wallis specialist Ed Beer, said: “We are pleased to offer two of the most significant works of Harry Robert Mileham’s career for auction. Due to the enduring nature of his work, we anticipate interest from collectors from across the UK, as well as further afield. We hope to emulate the record for the artist that was achieved at Woolley & Wallis in 2015, with Mileham’s 1902 work titled Tristram’s Deathbed, which sold for £25,620 against an estimate of £4,000-£6,000.”
The paintings have remained within the various generations of Harry Mileham’s family for decades, with his grandson Hal Mileham recounting: “Both of these paintings were hanging in the house in Hove when I would visit as a small boy. In particular I remember The Pardoner’s Prologue as it had such an interesting multitude of different people in it. He lived about a mile away in a good house which had in the garden a brick-built studio. This contained a large cast iron stove for painting in the Winter.
As well as his oil painting Harry Mileham was also highly skilled in the art of stained glass and created spectacular works for various churches across his home county of Sussex, working with the stained-glass designers and manufacturers Cox & Barnard, based in Hove. Following his death at the age of 84 his house was sold and his grandson tells us: “Much of the collection had to go into storage. These two works, amongst several others, were subsequently loaned to public exhibitions and following this, they were hung in my sister Janet White’s home. It would be a joy to see our grandfather’s talented work appearing in the public domain, because it is all worth seeing and his lifetime’s efforts should be out in the open for all to view.”
The exhibitions that Hal Mileham refers to, were to celebrate Harry Mileham’s contribution and legacy to art and marked the centenary of his remarkable achievements. Organised by Hal Mileham’s cousin Patrick Mileham, who painstakingly researched and catalogued his works, alongside the museum curator Tim Wilcox and Hal’s sister Janet White. They took place at Leighton House, Hove Museum & Art Gallery and Canterbury Royal Museum & Art Gallery. The two paintings will be offered in Woolley & Wallis’ Old Masters, British & European Paintings sale on Wednesday March 5, 2025.