Margaret Maitland Howard, Pan, God of Nature, Playing Panpipes, 1930s, Oil Painting, Framed

Margaret Maitland Howard.
English ( b.1898 - d.1983 ).
Pan, God of Nature, Playing Panpipes.
Oil on Canvas.
Signed Lower Left.
Image size 22.6 inches x 18.1 inches ( 57.5cm x 46cm ).
Frame size 26.8 inches x 22.2 inches ( 68cm x 56.5cm ).

This original oil painting is by the English artist Margaret Maitland Howard and dates from the 1930s.
The painting is presented and supplied in a sympathetic contemporary frame (which is shown in these photographs), mounted with new fixtures.
The canvas has been lined and mounted on a newly constructed custom made stretcher. The painted surface has benefitted from cleaning and conservation, all of which was performed on our instruction, supervision and approval.
This vintage painting is now in very good condition. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.
The painting is signed lower left.

Margaret Maitland Howard was an accomplished and versatile English artist whose works spanned the early to mid-20th century. Known for her evocative and often mythologically inspired oil paintings, Howard’s work reflects a deep engagement with classical themes and her knowledge of nature, and the human form. She was also proficient working in watercolours and pastels and an accomplished sculptor.

Margaret, who was always known as “Marjorie” was born in Friern, Barnet, London on 31 July 1898, the daughter of artist and civil servant Henry James Howard. She grew up at Sutton, Surrey, where she spent most of her life. She spent many years living and working from St. Katherine’s, Malgrave Road, Sutton, Surrey.

She was educated privately, at the Byam Shaw and then attended the Vicat Cole School of Art, completing her studies at the Royal Academy Schools, where she won five silver medals and other awards. She was also the recipient of a British Institute scholarship and extension and won the 1926 prize for her portrait work at the National Welsh Eisteddfod in Swansea.

She exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy, showing at least ten works of classical and biblical themes at Summer Exhibitions between 1923 and 1935. She was one of the early group of women who painted nudes, a practice which was considered somewhat risqué and vulgar in the early twentieth century. She also exhibited at other leading galleries and in the provinces and consistently pursued her art despite the challenges posed by the societal norms of the time.

Howard had a significant professional career for a woman of her generation. Just after World War II she was appointed draughtsman to the Institute of Archaeology at London University where she worked from 1948 to 1960. This is now part of University College, London. Here, she worked as an illustrator and sculptor, creating models for Professor Frederick Zeuner to use in his lectures. She also illustrated one of his important books (Zeuner, F.E. Dating the Past, London: Methuen). She also created the bust of Gordon Childe, now in the Institute’s Library. After her retirement from the Institute of Archaeology she collaborated with Ian Wolfran Cornwall on his series of books about the prehistoric world.

In 1956, whilst working for the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, she moved to Balawat and supervised the archaeological work at the site of an ancient Assyrian city in northern Mesopotamia. She subsequently prepared drawings of the Balawat Gates, which was significant and technical work.

In addition to illustrating various books on ancient history and anthropology, Howard was also known as an illustrator of fictional books, producing an illustrated edition of the Fables of Aesop that was published by John Lane at The Bodley Head in 1926. She also illustrated Elizabeth Ward’s Who Goes to the Wood (Lutterworth, 1940).

Howard lived a long and productive life. Her recreations included reading and riding, and she was an active member of Ridley Art Club

Margaret Maitland Howard passed away on 31 August 1983, leaving behind a body of work that continues to be admired for its beauty, technical skill, and the timeless quality of its subject matter. Today, her paintings are considered valuable pieces of classical-inspired art, appreciated by collectors and art historians for their unique contribution to 20th-century English art. Her ability to fuse mythological themes with a deep sense of nature remains a defining feature of her legacy.

This is a delightfully quirky and detailed oil on canvas painting by Margaret Maitland Howard. It depicts a pastoral scene rich in symbolism and classical themes. At the centre, a nude, androgynous figure plays a set of panpipes, evoking the image of Pan, the ancient Greek god of nature, shepherds, and rustic music. The figure is seated on a rock, surrounded by a group of attentive animals, including a bear, a weasel, and several sheep with curled horns, gazing curiously at the musician.
The background features a softly rolling landscape with a gradient of green and brown hues, giving depth to the scene and a sense of calm. The sky is painted with a gentle gradient, transitioning from a pale yellow near the horizon to a soft blue. The overall composition blends mythological and natural elements, emphasizing harmony between the human figure and the animals, all of which are intricately detailed. The signature “Maitland Howard” is clearly visible in the lower left, anchoring the work as a distinctive piece by the artist.
Pan is a prominent figure in Greek mythology, known as the god of the wild, shepherds, flocks, nature, rustic music, and often associated with fertility. He is typically depicted as having the upper body of a man with the legs and horns of a goat, embodying the untamed aspects of the natural world. Pan is closely linked to the countryside and pastoral life, often roaming through forests and fields, playing his signature musical instrument—the panpipes, or syrinx.
The panpipes, or syrinx, is a musical instrument made up of multiple tubes of varying lengths, typically made from reeds, wood, or bamboo. Each tube produces a different pitch when blown into, and together they create a haunting and melodious sound.
The instrument’s name comes from a myth involving Pan and a nymph named Syrinx. According to the story, Syrinx was a beautiful nymph who caught Pan’s eye, but she did not return his affections. As Pan pursued her, she fled and prayed to the river gods to save her. In response, they transformed her into a bundle of reeds. Heartbroken, Pan found the reeds and noticed that when the wind blew through them, they produced a melodious sound. He cut the reeds and fashioned them into a set of pipes, which he named the syrinx in her memory.
The panpipes symbolize Pan’s connection to nature and his role as a pastoral deity. The instrument’s music is often associated with the enchanting, yet wild and unpredictable, sounds of the natural world. In art and literature, Pan playing the panpipes often evokes themes of nature’s harmony, the beauty of the rural landscape, and sometimes the more untamed, primal aspects of life.
Pan’s association with the panpipes also underscores his dual nature as both a benevolent, musical figure and a god who embodies the wild, instinctual side of existence. This duality makes Pan a complex and intriguing figure in mythology, representing the balance between civilisation and the natural world.