LOT DETAILS

Materials:

oil on canvas

Measurements:

Description:

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Markings:

signed with monogram and dated 1873 lower left

Condition:

This condition report has been prepared by Hamish Dewar Ltd. The canvas has been lined and is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher with one central vertical cross member. The painting would appear to have been lined in order to treat an overall pattern of raised craquelure which is characteristic of the artist. The raised craquelure pattern appears stable at present. The tacking and turnover edges are covered with brown paper gum tape. The paint surface has an even glossy varnish layer. There are very minor abrasions within the varnish layers at the extreme edges, most notably the lower edge. These would appear to pertain to the rebate of the frame. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows a discoloured and degraded varnish layer covering the foliage and passages of the foreground. The painting would appear to have been selectively cleaned in the past, most notably the sky, the floodplain and the Pyramids. Inspection under ultraviolet light also shows very minor retouchings on the extreme edges, most notably the left and right edges, a few fine lines of retouching corresponding to craquelure within the floodplain in the lower left, a number of tiny spots within the sky around the Pyramids and two slightly larger retouchings at the horizon to the right of the Pyramids. It should be noted that these retouchings are all of minimal size. The painting would therefore appear to be in good condition. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.

Exhibited:

London, The Fine Art Society, The Travels of Edward Lear, 1983, no. 80 London, Royal Academy, The Orientalists - Delacroix to Matisse. European Painters in North Africa and the Near East, 1984, no. 85 Washington, National Gallery of Art, The Orientalists - Delacroix to Matisse. The Allure of North Africa and the Near East, 1984, no. 63 London, Royal Academy, Edward Lear, 1812-88, 1985, no. 61 Edinburgh, The Fine Art Society, 1988 Edinburgh, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Visions of the Ottoman Empire, 1994 Washington, National Gallery of Art, The Victorians: British Painting in the Reign of Queen Victoria, 1837-1901, 1997, no. 44

Literature:

Lady Strachey (ed.), Letters of Edward Lear, 1907, p. 318, nos. 272 or 273 Briony Llewellyn, entry in Edward Lear, 1812-88, catalogue for the exhibition at the Royal Academy in London, 1985, p. 154, illustrated p. 39 Gerard-Georges Lemaire, Orientalism: The Orient in Western Art, Paris, 2000, p. 135, mentioned Nicholas Tromans (ed.), The Lure of the East catalogue for the exhibition at Yale Centre for British Art in New Haven, Tate Britain in London, Suna and Inan Kirac Foundation Prera Museum in Istanbul and Sharjah Art Museum, 2008-2009, illustrated p. 106, fig. 88

Provenance:

Commissioned by Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl Northbrook before 1872; thence to Nina, Countess Northbrook (sale: Christie's, London, 5 October 1951, lot 129 bought 'Spencer') The Fine Art Society, London Private collection, UK (purchased from the above; sale: Sotheby's, London, 8 June 1993, lot 4) Purchased at the above sale by the present owner