The Voyage by David Holt (1991)
A fine large original oil painting inspired by a pilgrimage to the Callanish Stones
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
Painted in October 1991, this is an oil on canvas in a handmade frame (it is not glazed). The frame is constructed from rough wood with a slight red colouring to the facing side. The whole measures 96 × 60cm, the frame has a width of 2cm, × 4.5cm.
Titled The Voyage, this oil on canvas is a poignant reflection of David Holt’s deep connection to the Hebrides. Inspired by a pilgrimage to the ancient Callanish (Calanais) Stones—a site of profound personal significance to the artist—the work captures the ethereal stillness of an early morning arrival. Through a soft, shifting mist, two prehistoric standing stones emerge as the sky begins to brighten, the sun still veiled by the coastal haze above the rugged Hebridean terrain.
Signed, titled and dated by David Holt to the reverse, and signed lower right to the canvas.
Provenance: This painting comes directly from the artist's estate, and the work is offered with full provenance.
David Holt (1928–2014). Born in Hythe, Kent. Painter and Lecturer in Art. After National Service, he trained at the Canterbury School of Art, the Hammersmith School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools where he was awarded a medal for drawing and the Knapping Prize. He joined a studio-workshop with Gerald Holtom (designer of the CND symbol) in 1958 where he designed and produced proscenium curtains for schools. In 1958 he was awarded a Harkness Fellowship and travelled across America, producing many drawings and prints of the Pueblo Indians and their life-dance in Santa Fe in New Mexico, where he also worked with artist Agnes Sims. He returned to England in 1960 and continued to paint and work on large textile appliques for schools, churches, and private houses including Spade House in Kent, the former home of H G Wells.
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1962, and in 1964 was commissioned to design and make a large textile applique 'Christ in Majesty' which still hangs in the chapel of Christ Church College in Canterbury.
He was Head of Art at Canterbury Christ Church University until his retirement in 1995. He exhibited widely in the UK and the States and worked with many art societies and summer schools across East Kent.
His work can be found in both private and public collections throughout the UK and America, including the Yale Centre for British Art. His painting "Coastal Watcher" was recently used for the dustwrapper on Modernism and Memory: Rhoda Pritzker and the Art of Collecting (Yale University Press, 2016).
Condition
The painting is in very good condition, the frame, as mentioned, is made from rough wood. There are some paint spots to the frame as intended by the artist, but overall, an impressive work.
Due to weight and size, postage is restricted to the UK though I am happy to investigate overseas mailing. Collection is available from Hythe, Kent (CT21). Please give at least 24 hours notice. [Location: Store].
Books are currently zero-rated for duty (as of January 2026), so the price shown is the price you pay.
Price
£200.00
