We will not be publishing a List for August. Instead, as is now tradition, we have made a selection of works that were introduced to our stock in the year since August 2022. In that time almost 1100 items have appeared on our Lists (and more than 1500 if you include our Groups and Exhibitions). These 100 are still available and we feel dispel the commonly held, oft-quoted belief that the best works always sell first!
NB You can still view our List for July, and indeed all our Lists published since April 2021 via the menu above.
1. Allom, Thomas (1804 – 1872)France / Petrarch; ‘Tomb of Laura, Avignon’.Pencil. Inscribed recto. Extensively inscribed verso. Provenance: A large collection of drawings by Allom, bought Bloomsbury Auctions 15/7/10. Exhibited: Henry Potts.5×6.5 inches.Framed: 12×13.5 inches.
£175
2. ANON (Nineteenth-Century)‘A Youth of the Bowman Family’; possibly Thomas Bowman (1823-1906), son of John Bowman (1778-1832) and Mary Heydt (1781-1848).Oil on canvas. Ex. Collection: Major Bowman, The Manor House Aylsham, Norfolk (according to a label verso).14×12 inches.Framed: 18.5×16.5 inches.
4. ANON (Nineteenth-Century)Italy; Leghorn [Livorno], a panorama.The view from Ardenza with Elba, Corsica and Gorgona on the horizon. Taken from the Casini all’ Ardenza (completed 1844). The new coastal road had been developed in the mid-1830s and intense building of accommodation for holiday-makers followed. Pencil, pen, ink and wash. c.1845. Thank you to Professor Charles Watkins and Leonardo Porcelloni for their help in identifying the likely location that this panorama was taken from.10.75×79.5 inches.
£5,000
5. ANON (Nineteenth-Century)PAIR: Henley; ‘The Thames, Henley Bridge and St Mary’s Church’ and ‘The view towards Henley from the Hill Under Malmesbury’s Park / Park Place’.Watercolour. c.1800. Exhibited: Leger Galleries.10.5×16 inches.
10. Beer, Richard (1928 – 2017)Oxford; ‘Brasenose’.Etching and aquatint. Signed, titled and editioned 41/100.22.75×16.75 inches.
£575
11. Birch R.A., John Samuel ‘Lamorna’ (1869 – 1955)‘Sunday Night, St John’s Wood’; previously identified as painted from Dame Laura Knight’s house.Oil on canvas. Signed. Inscribed on the stretcher. Exhibited: Royal Academy, 1930, no.523. Provenance: Christies King Street, 8/3/1990, lot 43/b.20×24 inches.Framed: 27×30 inches.
14. Brockhurst R.A. R.E., Gerald Leslie (1890 – 1978)Sir Henry Rushbury K.C.V.O. C.B.E. R.A. (1889-1968) painted when artist and sitter were students at the Birmingham School of Art.Oil on canvas. 1907. Inscribed recto by the sitter’s father ‘Leslie Brockhurst Age 17. Male / Studied at Birmingham / School of Art’. The unlined canvas bearing the ‘ESK’ stencil verso and with an ESK label stating Brockhurst’s name and age (17). Exhibited: Sheffield City Art Gallery, ‘A Dream of Fair Women; an exhibition of the work of Gerald Leslie Brockhurst R.A. (1890-1978)’, 1987, no.4. Provenance: by descent in the sitter’s family.30.25×22.25 inches.Framed: 33×24.75 inches.
19. Clarke Hall, Edna (1879 – 1979)Cathy; ‘Self Study for WH’ (Wuthering Heights).Pen and ink. Inscribed.9×7 inches.Framed: 17.5×14.5 inches.
£975
20. Clausen R.A. R.W.S., Sir George (1852 – 1944)Hot Southern Landscape.Pencil and watercolour. Signed, dated 1925 and dedicated to Thomas Monington P.R.A. (1902-1976).8×10.25 inches.Framed: 16×18 inches.
26. Crockett, John (1918 – 1986)WWII; ‘Here, where the whoreson minds throw all our lives abroad; our hopes and fears, our pleasures and our loves…’.Pen, ink and watercolour. Signed and dated, ‘January 10th 1942’.19.75×13.5 inches.●
28. Daintry, Adrian (1902 – 1988)Bedfordshire; Woburn Abbey, the Saloon.Pen and ink. Exhibited: Sally Hunter, ‘Adrian Daintry’, February 1988, No.57.21.5×14.5 inches.Framed: 27×21.5 inches.
£575
29. Daoud, Adel (born 1980)Composition from the ‘Charbon de Chair’ series.Charcoal. Signed and dated, 2014. For another drawing from the Series see Isabel Seligman, ‘Pushing Paper Contemporary Drawing from 1970 to Now’ British Museum Exhibition Catalogue, 2020.27.5×39.5 inches.Framed: 30×42 inches.
£3,500
30. De Wint O.W.S., Peter (1784 – 1849)Kent; The Old Rectory, Ashtead.Pencil and watercolour. Provenance: the Howard Album; Matthew Pryor.7.25×11 inches.Framed: 15×17.75 inches.●
31. Denaro, Melita (born 1950)‘Lower Lagerhurry (I)’.Oil on board. November 1996. Exhibited: Contemporary Art Society Market, 1996.6.5×8.5 inches.Framed: 13.25×15.25 inches.
£2,250
32. Dighton, Robert (1752 – 1814)London; ‘The Profane laying hands on the Over Righteous [a Methodist Preacher]; a real scene on Tower Hill’.Engraving. 1784.6.75×8.25 inches.●
37. Firlet (Contemporary), MartaVirginia Woolf.Bronze Medal. 2001. Edition of 12. The accompanying card signed by the artist and numbered ‘8/12’.Dia.3.75 inches.
43. Girtin, Thomas (1775 – 1802)Roxburghshire; ‘Jedburgh Abbey’, from the Riverbank.Pencil and monochrome wash. After another artist’s composition. Signed and dated 1794. The original mount inscribed ‘Jedburgh Abbey’ in another hand. The original mount further inscribed ‘Jedburgh Abbey by T. Girtin’ and ‘Belonged to Dr. Munro / Christie’s Sale 27 March 1936. / Lot No.1.’. Provenance: Dr Thomas Monro (1759-1833); … Christie’s, 27 March 1936, lot 1 as ‘Jedburgh Abbey and Six other Sepia Drawings of Landscapes and Sky Studies’; bought by Thos. Agnew & Sons; Norman Dakeyne Newall (1888-1952); his widow, Leslia Newall (d.1979); Christie’s, 14th December 1979, lot 145. Literature: this is one of the group of small sketches listed in Greg Smith, ‘Thomas Girtin: The Art of Watercolour’, Tate, 2002, Cat No. 27, p.47; Greg Smith, ‘Thomas Girtin (1775-1802): An Online Catalogue, Archive and Introduction to the Artist’, Cat no. TG0188.4×6 inches.●
44. Greaves, Walter (1846 – 1930)Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)Pen and ink. c.1875. Signed. Exhibited: Michael Parkin.9×7 inches.Framed: 16.5×14.5 inches.
47. Hanley, Liam (1933 – 2019)‘Yellow Flowers’.Oil on canvas. Signed and dated, 1967.20.48×26.39 inches.Framed: 22×28 inches.
£975
48. Hitchens, John (born 1940)‘Calm Swell’.Oil on canvas. Signed and dated, 1964. Signed, titled and dated verso.12.25×18 inches.Framed: 16.5×22.25 inches.●
50. Hunt, William Holman (1827 – 1910)‘The Desolation of Egypt’ (Hartnoll 15). The artist in his tent at Giza, 1854.Etching on cream chine colle, applied to original backing sheet from the only published edition (of 500) as issued in ‘Etchings for the Art Union’ for the Etching Club in 1857.1.75×4.25 inches.Framed: 13×17 inches.●
52. John, Gwen (1876 – 1939)‘Girl in Green, Holding a Prayer Book’.Watercolour and gouache. 1920s. Studio stamp. Exhibited: Davis and Langdale, 1988. Literature: for another version of this painting see Cecily Langdale, ‘Gwen John’, 1987, Cat. No.317, pl.164.6×4.75 inches.Framed: 14×12.75 inches.
55. Knight, Harold (1874 – 1961)Head study; a South Kensington Schools examination piece.Charcoal. Bearing the ESK blind-stamp. The sitter has previously been identified as Lily Poyser, who modelled regularly at Nottingham School of Art. But a more convincing identification may be the sitter in Knight’s ‘Girl with a Red Bow’ (mid-1890s, Nottingham City Museums & Galleries). Provenance: Frederick Riley (1867-1915) by whom acquired from the artist when a student at Nottingham Art School, 1888-1895. This drawing is to be included in the catalogue raisonné currently being compiled by R John Croft FCA, the great-nephew of the artist.12.86×11.25 inches.Framed: 20.5×18.5 inches.
£2,750
56. Laporte, John (1761 – 1839)‘A View on the Mersey, Lancashire’.Oil on canvas. Signed and indistinctly dated. Signed and titled to a label verso.9.5×13 inches.Framed: 15.5×19.5 inches.
£1,500
57. Lear, Edward (1812 – 1888)Egypt; near Mount Sinai.Pencil, pen and ink. Inscribed and dated, ’21 January 1849 / 5pm’.12×19.75 inches.●
58. Lee R.A., Sydney (1866 – 1949)‘A Venetian Merchant’ (RM165).Wood-engraving. Signed. Signed and dated, 1928 in the block. Edition not declared (probably 100). Lee exhibited an oil of same subject at the R.A. in 1924.11.75×15 inches.
£650
59. Legros, Alphonse (1837 – 1911)Profile; previously identified as Charles Ricketts (1866-1931).Silver point on prepared paper. Signed and dated, 1890.13.25×9.75 inches.Framed: 21×17 inches.
61. MacNab, Allan (1901 – 1982)France; ‘Mentone’.Engraving and drypoint. Signed, dated 1926 and editioned ’54/55′.12×15 inches.●
62. Meyrick, Robert (born 1958)Wales; Aberystwyth Old College, ‘Quad Stair Case’.Linocut. c.1980. Signed, titled and editioned, ‘8/150’.19.5×31.5 inches.
£300
63. Müller, William James (1812 – 1845)Bristol; the view from the West end of Royal York Crescent with Clifton Church in the distance and Cornwallis Crescent to the right.Watercolour. Exhibited: Agnews. Provenance: Dr Robert Hemphill.5×10 inches.Framed: 12×16 inches.
£2,750
64. Müller, William James (1812 – 1845)Italy; Pompeii, the Bay of Naples.Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Exhibited: Squire Gallery.3×5 inches.Framed: 9.5×11 inches.
68. Noyes (Late Eighteenth Century), RobertWiltshire; ‘A View in the Devizes’.Watercolour. Signed and dated, 1798. Showing the sculpture of a bear on twin columns, moved to stand on the porch of the Bear Hotel in 1806 (and where it still stands today). The current Market Cross was designed by James Wyatt and completed in 1814.13×23.75 inches.Framed: 16.75×27.5 inches.
£3,000
69. Phillips, B. R.Figure composition.Chalks. Squared for transfer. c.195015×19.5 inches.Framed: 22.75×27 inches.
71. Pocock OWS, Nicholas (1740 – 1821)Morning over a town and castle, probably Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight.Watercolour. Exhibited: A and H.7×10.5 inches.Framed: 15×17.75 inches.
£775
72. Prendergast, Peter (1946 – 2007)‘Winter Landscape’.Acrylic. Signed, titled and dated, 2001 verso. Exhibited: The Singer & Friedlander Watercolour Competition, The Mall Galleries, 2003.11.5×15.25 inches.Framed: 18.25×21.76 inches.
74. Reynolds, Alan (1926 – 2014)Kent; ‘Study Oak’ / ‘Study at Shoreham’.Pen, brush, ink and watercolour. Signed and dated, 1953. Inscribed ‘Study Oak’ recto. Further inscribed ‘Study at Shoreham April 53’ no the old backing. Exhibited: Redfern Gallery, 1960.6.75×5.75 inches.
77. Ryohei, Tanaka (1933 – 2019)Japan; Kyoto, ‘Togetsu-kyo in the Rain’.Etching. 1995. Signed and editioned, 149/150. Exhibited: Kamal Bakhshi Contemporary Japanese Prints.3.5×4.75 inches.
79. Shannon R.A., Charles Haslewood (1863 – 1937)‘Caresses’ (R21).Lithograph. 1894. Edition of 55. Signed and dedicated ‘In Memory of Xmas Day 1907 – Kathleen CS’. Ex. Collection: Paul Delaney, author of ‘The Lithographs of Paul Shannon’.8.5×6.25 inches.●
81. Sickert R.A. N.E.A.C., Walter Richard (1860 – 1942)‘Church Time’.Chalk, pen and ink. Signed and inscribed. Exhibited: Agnews, ‘Centenary Exhibition of Etchings and Drawings by Sickert’, 1960, Cat No. 227.12.25×10.25 inches.Framed: 20×17.5 inches.
£6,500
82. Sunderland (Attributed to), Thomas (1744 – 1828)PAIR: Lake District; Backbarrow and the Leven Estuary from Trundle Brow.Pencil, pen, ink and monochrome wash. c.1800. Exhibited: J. R. Cookson Ltd, Kendal.11×15 inches.
86. Thornton, Valerie (1931 – 1991)‘Studio Creation’Charcoal and pastels. 1989/90. Inscribed verso in Michael Chase’s hand. Provenance: the artist’s husband, Michael Chase, and by descent.20.5×14.5 inches.Framed: 28.5×22 inches.
£875
87. Thys, Gaston (1863 – 1893)Hercules and the Bull.Oil on canvas. Inscribed ‘St Cecil and dated 1882. Signed / dedicated: ‘Le Pentre au Musicien’ / ‘Thys à Deven’.10×12 inches.Framed: 18×20 inches.
93. Underwood (and Pupil), Leon (1890 – 1975)Life drawing.Pencil. Inscribed ‘Demonstration by Leon Underwood’. The main drawing is by a student from the Brook Green School of Art (1919-1938). Bottom right is a demonstration drawing by Underwood.6×15.5 inches.Framed: 10×19.5 inches.
95. Varley O.W.S., John (1778 – 1842)Northumberland; A View Towards Holy Island from Bamburgh Castle.Pencil, and watercolour. 1808. Agnews, ‘130th Annual Watercolour Exhibition’, 2003, Cat No 33.4×7 inches.Framed: 11.5×14.25 inches.●
96. Varley O.W.S., John (1778 – 1842)Wales; Harlech Castle and Tegwyn Ferry from Traeth Mawr.Pencil and watercolour. Signed and dated, 1804. The sketch used for Varley’s large composition of the same subject, now in the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven. Exhibited: Bill Thompson.9.75×17.75 inches.Framed: 19.25×26.5 inches.●
97. Walcot R.E., William (1874 – 1943)‘The Trojan Horse – Virgil’s Aeneid II’ (D20 / EH-L 35).Etching and aquatint. 1914. Signed. Edition of 35, of which 29 printed.24.5×32.25 inches.
100. Wood, John (1801 – 1870)A young woman reading.Pencil and sepia wash. 1830s. Provenance: an album of drawings by John Wood compiled in 1884 and with A and H in 1994. Acquired by us at Sotheby’s that year.9.75×8 inches.Framed: 16.25×14 inches.●
REMINDER!
STEPHEN TOMLIN (1901-1937) Portrait of Duncan Grant
We still have some of this edition, cast in bronze from the original 1924 sculpture that we sold to the Charleston Trust. Some of you will have seen the original in Philip Mould’s current Tomlin exhibition (continues to 11th August).