Beerbohm, Max

375 by 315mm., fine pencil and watercolour drawing, titled lower left, signed and dated ("Max 1914") lower centre, mounted, framed and glazed

Mrs Philip Guedalla; The Piccadilly Gallery, Cork Street

Hart-Davis 576

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"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."

A MAJOR BEERBOHM CARICATURE. This fine caricature of George V was reproduced within Hart-Davis’ Catalogue of the Caricatures of Max Beerbohm. It was also illustrated, this time in colour, as a plate in N. John Hall’s 1997 volume, Max Beerbohm’s Caricatures. A review of that book, by Kenneth Baker, in the Spectator noted that “Beerbohm's jibes at the royal family cost him royal recognition, for it was not until 1939 that George VI, whom he had never caricatured, eventually made him a knight… Beerbohm portrayed George V as a diminutive figure alongside his high- necked, high-hatted wife. In one, he is drawn as a small figure in guard's uniform with a huge busby on a large horse, reviewing the massed troops on Horseguards, entitled, 'A Sailor King'...” (see Baker, ‘The monstrous Max’, Spectator, 25 October 1997, p. 50). The review also reproduces the caricature.

George V (1865–1936) had joined a cadet training ship in 1877 at the age of 12. He then joined the Royal Navy, in preference to a university education. The death of his elder brother, Albert Victor in 1892, effectively ended George's naval career, as he became second in line to the throne. When he became King George V in 1910, the nickname of “The Sailor King” was given to the monarch who had spent over 15 years with the Royal Navy.