Norman C. Jaques (b.1922 -) 
`The Ponte Vecchio, Florence` 1948
Stylish watercolour by well known Northern artist and printmaker Norman Jaques depicting the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. An important piece as it would have been done during Jaques` trip in 1948 which was a consequence of winning the Proctor Travelling Scholarship to Italy and France, which was a Royal Manchester Institute award. The painting is in Jaques` typical quirky style and has a wonderful spontaneous feel to the image. An interesting feature is the handwritten notes verso depicting the history of the subject in the artists own hand.  Housed in a contemporary darkwood frame with ivory mount.
Norman Clifford Jaques - Born in Manchester and studied at the College of Art and Technology 1937-42. A painter, printmaker and teacher, he has won many awards including the Proctor award and the Giles bequest award in Blockprinting, V&A Museum,1954. Jaques held a senior lectureship in Art & Design at Manchester Polytechnic 1950-82 and was president of the Manchester Academy of Fine Art 1984-1990. He worked extensively in the field of prints, illustration and book design. He has exhibited extensively including the Royal Academy and the V&A. Public Galleries in Oldham, Manchester and Stockport hold examples of his work.