John Atkinson Grimshaw

The canvas has been lined. There is some craquelure to the tree on the left and the surface is slightly dirty; otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals an uneven, opaque varnish which makes the surface difficult to read conclusively. There may be possible areas in the foreground, and there are some minor flecks in the lower left corner. Held 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."

Painted in 1878 and arguably the most successful of a series of versions of A Yorkshire Home (one also dated 1878, Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate and another, dated 1879 sold Sotheby’s, New York, 26 October 2004, lot 103) it is a symphony in gold and malachite green, haunting and romantic in its atmosphere. The view is from the garden path at the far side of a small lake strewn with lily-pads, looking towards a grand old Jacobean house surrounded by trees amid which mistletoe is growing in clusters in the uppermost boughs. The textures of damp leaves, moss-covered stone and glassy still waters are overlayed with a lace-like effect of skeletal branches and the last leaves of autumn. It is a celebration of the last glory of the year and symbolic not of death and decay, but of the hope of rebirth.

In 1870 Grimshaw, his wife Fanny and their four children moved into Knostrop Old Hall, a rented seventeeth-century manor house on the Temple Newsam estate near Leeds. Grimshaw's residence at Knostrop has led to confusion regarding the location of some of his pictures which have been identified as depicting Knostrop because of the style of the buildings, a confusion sometimes exacerbated by the artist inscribing the word 'Knostrop' on the reverse of pictures - refering to the address of the artist rather than the setting of the picture. A Yorkshire Home does not depict Knostrop but the architecture is similar, being essentially Tudor in design but with nineteenth-century additions, including the one-storey wing on one side and the bell-tower.