An Idyll
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Maurice William Greiffenhagen was born in England. His parents had come to London from Denmark prior to his birth. He attended the RA schools, and exhibited at the RA, as well as other venues. He worked initially as an illustrator, being much associated with the author Rider Haggard (1856-1925), author of King Solomon's Mines. Greiffenhagen was a versatile artist, and artistically was much influenced by Whistler. He had two pictures purchased by the Chantrey Bequest. In his later career he concentrated on portraits. Greiffenhagen lived in two artistic enclaves in London, firstly in Primrose Hill, and secondly in St John's Wood. He was a friend of J W Waterhouse, who he mentions in his memoirs, which I have, so far, been unable to locate. His obituary from The Times, which I produce below, makes further comment from me not necessary.

The Times Monday 28th December 1931

OBITUARY Mr Greiffenhagen RA Portraits and Decorative Design

By the sudden death on Saturday of angina pectoris at his home in St John's Wood at the age of 69 of Mr Maurice Greiffenhagen, the Royal Academy loses a vigorous portrait painter, particularly of men, and a very capable designer in many mediums.

Greiffenhagen's work was a good illustration of the truth that how a subject is disposed upon the canvas and the terms in which it is stated are almost more important than what it is in itself. His paintings were not remarkable for psychological depth, though they showed a masculine grasp of external character, but by virtue of their telling arrangement and incisive execution they always looked well upon the wall. Undoubtedly they owed a great deal to the skilful use of black, providing a strong framework in which bright colours such as official robes could be inset without any garish effect. Generally rather flat in treatment, with firm outline, and such decorative additions as coats of arms and the names and titles of the subject, they derived in style from Holbein, and Anthony Moon rather than from Van Dyck through the 18th century masters, as does the main body of English portraiture.

His work had a rough-hewn character with a slight woodenness in the drawing which made him more successful as a rule with men than women, though, given the right type he could produce a robustly decorative female portrait, "Miss Pearl Hood" exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1925 remains in the memory as a very successful picture. His portrait of "Mrs G" was purchased by the Carnegie Gallery in Pittsburgh, and he also painted Angela and Dorothy the daughters of Rider Haggard.

Partly on account of his colour schemes, Greiffenhagen's work had great carrying power, and it is not surprising that he was a good poster designer. When a few years ago the London Midland & Scottish Railway tried the experiment of commissioning travel posters from RAs and ARAs Greiffenhagen's design "The Gateway of the North" representing a knightly horseman before a portcullis archway was by far the most successful of the series. With a suitable subject, something strange and romantic, he was a very good illustrator, and he entered thoroughly into the spirit of Rider Haggard, whose portrait he painted in 1897. In his earlier days he did much black and white work for the press, and was an occasional contributor to Punch.

Born in England in 1862 of parents who emigrated from the shores of the Baltic Maurice William Greiffenhagen was sent to University College School, where he won the Armitage Prize, the cartoon medal, and several other awards. From 1906 he was for some time the headmaster of the Life Department in Glasgow School of Art. His admirable sense of the relation of pictures to architectural surroundings was recognized, as he had several important commissions for the decoration of exhibition pavilions, at Paris and Dunedin in 1925, and at Antwerp in 1930.

Though he was best-known as a portrait painter and decorator, Mr Greiffenhagen produced several subject pictures which had at least interest of design. His most popular picture is probably The Idyll," a youth embracing a maiden under the harvest moon, a truly impassioned work now in the Walker Gallery; but in "The Judgement of Paris" in the National Gallery of Sydney "The Sons of God saw the Daughters of Men," in the Municipal Museum Ghent, and "Woman by a Lake," and "Dawn" in the Tate are all pictures lifted by intensivity of feeling above their decorative aspect. Greiffenhagen was made ARA in 1916, and RA in 1922. He was LLD of Glasgow University, and received gold medals in Munich in 1897, and Dresden in 1901, and honourable mention in Pittsburgh in 1907. He led a busy hardworking life, entirely wrapped up in his work, and had no outside hobbies. For many years he gave much of his time to teaching, and a generation of young Scottish students owe to him their artistic training, and will long remember his trenchant criticism and fine example, for he taught by demonstration rather than precept. He leaves a widow Beatrice, daughter of the late Mr John Latham of Pall Mall, and one son. His much-loved elder boy was killed in the war.

A memorial service will be held at St James's Church Piccadilly at 2.20 p m on Tuesday