Unknown Artist
b. 1931
Old George Under His Favorite Baobab Tree
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS: 34 x 54 inches
Signed lower right and dated 66
Titled and inscribed "Winkworth Farm, Hascombe Surrey" verso
SOLD FOR: $58,500
Including Buyers Premium
2017,
LOT 405
Additional Information
Though he was born in Britain, David Shepherd has spent a lifetime painting and advocating for the great game animals of Africa. He founded what has become a vital African wildlife foundation and was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his efforts. In Old George Under His Favorite Baobab Tree, Shepherd injects a bit of whimsy into the natural world. The venerable tusker and baobab are old friends. Places where George has scraped away the bark and scarred the tree are evident on the leftmost trunk. The relationship between elephants and baobabs is a sort of arms race of giants. The elephant gouges the outer bark of the tree to get at the watery, spongy mass inside, while the baobab regrows its bark and sends new shoots into the dusty earth—each strives to wear down the other. As well, the elephant eats the baobab fruit, digesting everything but the seeds, and thereby propagates the species. Because of the similarities in color and texture, baobab trees are sometimes called the elephants of the plant kingdom.