§ Augustus John O.M., R.A. (British 1878-1961) Portrait of a Lady, 1943 signed 'John' and dated (lower left), red and black chalk (49cm x 33cm (19.25in x 13in)) Footnote: The style of this portrait drawing is instantly recognisable as belonging to the 1940s, when Augustus John's fame was such that many people wanted to sit for him. Rather than using oil paint, he used red and black chalks, with white chalk for highlights, a medium that he had not used since the first decade of the 20th Century. Many portraits were executed in this way, and as in the present work, his female sitters sat for him wearing classic 1940s hairstyles, and were not always named. Comparable works are reproduced in ‘ Augustus John: 52 Drawings ’ (George Rainbird, 1957), in which the artist insisted that a selection of his recent portrait drawings should be included. We are grateful to Rebecca John for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.