Charles Spencelayh

Born 1865 in Rochester, Kent, England; died 1958

From Artnet:

Charles Spencelayh was the son of Henry Spencelayh, an engineer and iron brass founder. Born in Rochester, Kent, Charles entered the National Art Training School (latterly the Royal College of Art) in 1885. This was followed by studies at the Royal Academy, where he showed his work from 1892 with few interruptions until 1958. To complete his training, he went to study in Paris, where he also exhibited at the Paris Salon. Although Spencelayh was renowned for his many studies in oils, he also achieved acclaim as a watercolourist, an etcher and for portrait miniatures. It was Spencelayh who painted a miniature of King George V for Queen Mary’s celebrated dolls’ house, which was on display at the Wembley Exhibition of 1924 and is now at Windsor Castle. The work of Spencelayh is represented in several museums including Bradford City Art Gallery; the Tate Gallery, London; the Manchester City Art Gallery; and the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston.

From Wikipedia:

Charles Spencelayh (October 27, 1865 – June 25, 1958) was an English genre painter and portraitist in the Academic style.

Spencelayh was born in Rochester in Kent, and first studied at the National Art Training School, South Kensington. He showed his work at the Paris Salon, but most of his exhibitions were in Britain. Between 1892 and 1958, he exhibited more than 70 paintings at the Royal Academy, including "Why War" (1939), which won the Royal Academy ‘Picture of the Year.’ He had a solo exhibition at The Sunderland Art Gallery in 1936.

Spencelayh was a founder member of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, where he exhibited 129 miniatures between 1896 and 1954.

Many of his subjects were of domestic scenes, painted with an almost photographic detail.

Spencelayh was a favourite of Queen Mary, who was an avid collector of his work. In 1924 he painted a miniature of King George V for the Queen's dolls house.