SILVIA DURAN Signed Original Oil Painting on Canvas "Cheeky"

Artist: Silvia Duran (Spanish, 20th Century)

Title: Cheeky (Portrait of a Lion Cub)

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Image Size: 38cm x 49cm (15" x 19")

Frame Size: 56cm x 66cm (22" x 26")

Framed: Yes — presented in an ornate gilt frame with decorative moulding.

Condition: Image: Very good. Frame: Good, minor marks consistent with age.

Provenance: Private Collection

Gallery Price: N/A

Curated Treasures Price: £395

About the Artwork

Cheeky is a charming 1975 wildlife portrait by Silvia Duran, capturing a young lion cub resting in a relaxed, expressive pose. The artist’s warm palette and soft brushwork highlight the cub’s innocence and gentle character, while the neutral background keeps the viewer’s attention firmly on the subject. A delightful example of Duran’s decorative and affectionate approach to animal portraiture.

About the Artist

Spanish artist Silvia Duran built her reputation on gentle, expressive wildlife portraits, especially her much‑loved studies of young big cats. Her paintings blend soft realism with a decorative warmth that continues to appeal to collectors who enjoy traditional, character‑rich animal art.

Born in Spain, Duran first trained under her father before continuing her studies at the Bellas Artes de Barcelona. Later, during her time in England, she completed both an A‑level in Art and a City & Guilds qualification. She spent those years painting scenes of London — the Thames, St Paul’s, and the surrounding countryside — developing a deep affection for the English landscape.

A turning point came when she watched the film Born Free. From that moment, she felt compelled to devote herself to painting big cats, and she soon began specialising in these powerful yet sensitive animals. Wildlife parks granted her close access to sketch and observe them, and this direct study shaped the authenticity of her work. Exhibitions followed across London, throughout the UK, and internationally, while publishers such as Solomon & Whitehead, Rosenstiels, and Medici Fine Arts reproduced her images widely.

Her passion for big cats took her to Africa, where she observed lions in the wild and was later invited by conservationist George Adamson to stay at his camp, Kampi Ya Simba in Kora — an experience she described as life‑changing. Duran went on to create artworks in support of the WWF, the Born Free Foundation, the Kora Wildlife Trust, and other organisations dedicated to animal protection.

A new chapter opened when she was invited by His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa Bin Sulman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, to exhibit her work. The island’s brilliant light, vivid colours and rich cultural atmosphere transformed her artistic direction. From this period emerged fantastical visions — white‑winged lions and tigers, jewel‑bright peacocks, unicorns, dolphins, and shimmering compositions filled with crystals, pearls and gold — a vibrant imaginative world unique to her later style.

Today, Duran lives near the sea, surrounded by a large family of cats whose personalities and presence continue to inspire her daily.