Provenance

Property of Basil William Clayton Humphries and thence by descent.

Mr Humphreys worked for the De Beers Compounds in Kimberley after serving during the Second World War and receiving the Distinguished Service Cross. He later went into farming and had one of the largest flocks of purebread Blackhead Persian sheep in the country. He had many interests and specialized in Greek and Russian icons. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London and served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the William Humphreys Art Gallery at one time.