Sir John Lavery, R.A., R.H.A., R.S.A.

Sotheby's, London, 18 May 2001, lot 179, where purchased by the previous owner

The panel appears generally sound. Some uneveness to the surface and abrasions to the edges, mostly inherent with the medium. A faint vertical crack approx. 3cm. long below the signature which appears stable and some frame abrasions to the edges. The work has been recently cleaned and appears in good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals retouchings scattered across the composition, including some areas to the face. Also a vertical line near upper right edge that relates to a restored crack. Some areas which fluoresce appear to relate to the areas of the pitted surface, and a large area which fluoresces in the upper right corner may be by the artist or retouching. Held in a metal-leaf 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."

Throughout his career Lavery employed models in a variety of guises. Besides posing for large literary and historical compositions in his early years, they frequently stood in for busy clients who had no time to pose for anything other than the head in a full-length portrait. In these instances, not only did they model clothes, but they also assisted the painter in arriving at an agreeable composition and colour harmony. Although no large version of the present arrangement has been found, Lavery clearly exploits the flash of bright red tunic as a foil to the overall palette of tans and khakis – a combination of hues found frequently in Whistler’s work. While small sketches of this kind were a way of limbering up, they were also favoured by the discerning few for their suave spontaneity.  

Lavery was liberal in their disposal. Once admired, a little study would be inscribed and presented to a client even if there was no personal or family connection between the model or sitter and the recipient. In all Lavery’s extensive correspondence there appears to be no references to Egon Hessling, the Paris-based author, editor and publisher, although it is probable that they met in May 1904 when Lavery was in the French capital. During the years up to and immediately after the Great War, Hessling produced illustrated folios of French furniture in the Louvre and Musée des Arts Décoratifs collections which became style guides for interior designers such as Elsie de Wolfe and Edith Wharton. Since the present sketch must date from c1900, we might propose that models such as Vera Christie or Nora Johnson be considered in the present case. However, much more likely is Idonea La Primaudaye, one of the three elegant daughters of a ship’s captain who, after his naval service, skippered the St Ives lifeboat in the mid -1880s. Although Blanche and Nancy La Primaudaye also appeared in Lavery’s studio between 1900 and 1905, the tall, slim Idonea, then in her mid-twenties, was his favourite model. She was, according to Brinsley Ford (in conversation with the author), ‘rather bohemian’, and her family appears to have moved to Jersey before the girls’ arrival in London. Her lineage may also explain why the present work with its Hessling connection, has always been known by its French title. 

Kenneth McConkey