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Auction archive: Lot number 215

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, R.A.

Estimate
£60,000 - £80,000
ca. US$72,389 - US$96,519
Price realised:
n. a.
Auction archive: Lot number 215

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, R.A.

Estimate
£60,000 - £80,000
ca. US$72,389 - US$96,519
Price realised:
n. a.
Beschreibung:

DescriptionThe Property of Patrick Mansel Lewis, Stradey Castle, Llanelly
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer R.A.London 1802 - 1873A Highland ghillie with two deerhounds and a terrier
oil on boardunframed: 60 x 45.8 cm.; 23½ x 18 in.framed: 91.9 x 77.4 cm.; 36⅛ x 30½ in.Condition reportThe board is flat and stable. The varnish is even but rather dirty and has discoloured over time. There is a distinctive craquelure visible in raking light. Some of the more pronounced craquelure (above the ghillie's sporran and in the background to his right) has formed some minor tenting that may require attention. Otherwise there are only a few surface scuffs, and no major visible damages. Both the underdrawing and the loose handling of the paint are well preserved. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals only a few minor scattered retouchings, and one repaired damage that runs from the back of the ghillie's right knee horizontally through his left knee. This old damage also encompasses the back of his hand, and runs down into his left shin and sock. This damage appears to be well restored and is not clearly visible to the naked eye. In good overall condition. Offered in a gilt carved wood and gesso 19th century English frame which is in good condition, with only a few chips and losses.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
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.ProvenanceThe artist's studio sale, London, Christie's, 8 May 1874, lot 107, for £131–5s. to Agnew, on behalf of Charles William Mansel Lewis (1845–1931), Stradey Castle, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire;Thence by descent.ExhibitedSheffield, Mappin Art Gallery, Landseer and His World, 5 February – 12 March 1972, no. 55. Catalogue noteThis beautiful sketch of a Highland ghillie with his dogs is probably one of a series of studies of Highlanders and Highland life that Landseer painted in the 1820s and 1830s, a period when he was spending a lot of time staying with the Duchess of Bedford in the remote valley of Glenfeshie. A keen sportsman who spent a great deal of time in the Highlands of Scotland, Landseer was deeply impressed by the character and resourcefulness of the keepers and ghillies with whom he stalked. They feature in many of his sketches from this period and are characterised by a hardiness which reflects the rugged wilderness in which they lived.
As in his history paintings and sporting groups, Landseer’s image of the Highlander reflects the influence of his great friend Sir Walter Scott Like the characters in Scott’s novels, he depicts them through the picturesque prism of a primitive people leading a simple life in close communion with the land and the animal world. As Richard Ormond has written, they are presented as a race apart, with their own culture and mores, tougher and more resourceful than their southern cousins and untainted by the corrupting influence of modern industrialisation and materialism.1 Having spent most of the eighteenth century being represented as something to be feared, the image of the Highlander was undergoing a transformation in the early nineteenth century, and Landseer’s imagery stirred the romantic imagination of his audience. His Highlanders and their dogs stand for loyalty, sturdy self-reliance, physical hardiness and courage, as expressed in the firm countenance and steady gaze of the ghillie in this sketch, the artist sympathetically capturing his humanity and self-respect. 
This exceptionally well-preserved painting is one of a number of early oil sketches, drawings and écorché studies that were bought from Landseer’s studio sale by the amateur artist Charles Mansel Lewis (1845–1931). The six-day sale of the contents of Landseer’s studio, including paintings, drawings, prints and books, was held at Christie’s in May 1874 and attracted widespread interest, with strong competition from collectors and dealers alike for the over 1,400 lots on offer. Mansel Lewis had cultivated his interest in art whilst at Oxford University where he befriended the Slade Professor of Art, William Rivière whose work he later collected, together with that of his son, Briton Rivière In 1874 he inherited the Stradey estate in South Wales, where he swiftly constructed an artist’s studio at the top of a tower with windows looking out onto the Bristol Channel, where he could paint by the soft Carmarthen light. At about this time he also met and became a lifelong friend and patron of Hubert von Herkomer A sportsman himself, Mansel Lewis clearly felt an affinity with Landseer’s sporting scenes, his deer hounds, dead stags, hawks and sporting dogs, as well as his studies of animals and rural life. As a painter himself, however, he was also clearly intrigued by the process of Landseer’s art and drawn particularly to these didactic studies through which he had mastered his craft and trained his eye.
1 See R. Ormond, The Monarch of the Glen. Landseer in the Highlands, Edinburgh 2005, pp. 59–79.

Auction archive: Lot number 215
Auction:
Datum:
7 Jul 2022
Auction house:
Sotheby's
34-35 New Bond St.
London, W1A 2AA
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7293 5000
+44 (0)20 7293 5989
Beschreibung:

DescriptionThe Property of Patrick Mansel Lewis, Stradey Castle, Llanelly
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer R.A.London 1802 - 1873A Highland ghillie with two deerhounds and a terrier
oil on boardunframed: 60 x 45.8 cm.; 23½ x 18 in.framed: 91.9 x 77.4 cm.; 36⅛ x 30½ in.Condition reportThe board is flat and stable. The varnish is even but rather dirty and has discoloured over time. There is a distinctive craquelure visible in raking light. Some of the more pronounced craquelure (above the ghillie's sporran and in the background to his right) has formed some minor tenting that may require attention. Otherwise there are only a few surface scuffs, and no major visible damages. Both the underdrawing and the loose handling of the paint are well preserved. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals only a few minor scattered retouchings, and one repaired damage that runs from the back of the ghillie's right knee horizontally through his left knee. This old damage also encompasses the back of his hand, and runs down into his left shin and sock. This damage appears to be well restored and is not clearly visible to the naked eye. In good overall condition. Offered in a gilt carved wood and gesso 19th century English frame which is in good condition, with only a few chips and losses.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
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.ProvenanceThe artist's studio sale, London, Christie's, 8 May 1874, lot 107, for £131–5s. to Agnew, on behalf of Charles William Mansel Lewis (1845–1931), Stradey Castle, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire;Thence by descent.ExhibitedSheffield, Mappin Art Gallery, Landseer and His World, 5 February – 12 March 1972, no. 55. Catalogue noteThis beautiful sketch of a Highland ghillie with his dogs is probably one of a series of studies of Highlanders and Highland life that Landseer painted in the 1820s and 1830s, a period when he was spending a lot of time staying with the Duchess of Bedford in the remote valley of Glenfeshie. A keen sportsman who spent a great deal of time in the Highlands of Scotland, Landseer was deeply impressed by the character and resourcefulness of the keepers and ghillies with whom he stalked. They feature in many of his sketches from this period and are characterised by a hardiness which reflects the rugged wilderness in which they lived.
As in his history paintings and sporting groups, Landseer’s image of the Highlander reflects the influence of his great friend Sir Walter Scott Like the characters in Scott’s novels, he depicts them through the picturesque prism of a primitive people leading a simple life in close communion with the land and the animal world. As Richard Ormond has written, they are presented as a race apart, with their own culture and mores, tougher and more resourceful than their southern cousins and untainted by the corrupting influence of modern industrialisation and materialism.1 Having spent most of the eighteenth century being represented as something to be feared, the image of the Highlander was undergoing a transformation in the early nineteenth century, and Landseer’s imagery stirred the romantic imagination of his audience. His Highlanders and their dogs stand for loyalty, sturdy self-reliance, physical hardiness and courage, as expressed in the firm countenance and steady gaze of the ghillie in this sketch, the artist sympathetically capturing his humanity and self-respect. 
This exceptionally well-preserved painting is one of a number of early oil sketches, drawings and écorché studies that were bought from Landseer’s studio sale by the amateur artist Charles Mansel Lewis (1845–1931). The six-day sale of the contents of Landseer’s studio, including paintings, drawings, prints and books, was held at Christie’s in May 1874 and attracted widespread interest, with strong competition from collectors and dealers alike for the over 1,400 lots on offer. Mansel Lewis had cultivated his interest in art whilst at Oxford University where he befriended the Slade Professor of Art, William Rivière whose work he later collected, together with that of his son, Briton Rivière In 1874 he inherited the Stradey estate in South Wales, where he swiftly constructed an artist’s studio at the top of a tower with windows looking out onto the Bristol Channel, where he could paint by the soft Carmarthen light. At about this time he also met and became a lifelong friend and patron of Hubert von Herkomer A sportsman himself, Mansel Lewis clearly felt an affinity with Landseer’s sporting scenes, his deer hounds, dead stags, hawks and sporting dogs, as well as his studies of animals and rural life. As a painter himself, however, he was also clearly intrigued by the process of Landseer’s art and drawn particularly to these didactic studies through which he had mastered his craft and trained his eye.
1 See R. Ormond, The Monarch of the Glen. Landseer in the Highlands, Edinburgh 2005, pp. 59–79.

Auction archive: Lot number 215
Auction:
Datum:
7 Jul 2022
Auction house:
Sotheby's
34-35 New Bond St.
London, W1A 2AA
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7293 5000
+44 (0)20 7293 5989
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