- 17
William Gale
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
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Description
- William Gale
- The Convalescent
- signed with monogram and dated l.l.: 1862; also inscribed on the reverse: No. 1/ W. Gale / Langham Chambers / Portland Place
- oil on panel
- 32 by 47cm., 12½ by 18½in.
Provenance
Agnew & Sons, London;
Private collection
Private collection
Exhibited
Possibly London, Royal Academy, 1862, no.274 as The Sick Wife;
London, Agnew & Sons, Loan Exhibition of Victorian Paintings 1837-1887, 1961, no.26
London, Agnew & Sons, Loan Exhibition of Victorian Paintings 1837-1887, 1961, no.26
Condition
STRUCTURE
An additional 3 in. of panel has been added to the right edge. There is craquelure throughout. May benefit from a light clean.
ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT
There are some small flecks of retouching to the sky and along the panel addition, with minor flecks elsewhere.
FRAME
In a gilt plaster frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This delightful picture depicts two of the most popular subjects for Victorian artists, leisure-time and convalescence. A young mother is recovering from an illness beside the seaside at one of the many resorts that experienced a heyday in the nineteenth century. She clearly is on the mend and does not seem dangerously ill. Her husband is holding her hand and looking concerned, but not grief-stricken or panicked. Her daughters are quite content to dig in the sand and play with the bladder-wrack.
The 1850s and 1860s were the decades in which ordinary people were able to visit the seaside when bank holidays and Saturday half-holidays made it possible for working-class people to enjoy time away from home and work. The towns of Scarborough, Whitby, Blackpool, Ramsgate and Southport were changed beyond recognition by the influx of day-trippers and artists responded to the new-found interest in seaside subjects. The most famous example is William Powell Frith’s Life at the Seaside – Ramsgate Sands of 1854.