Lot 1015
  • 1015

Joseph Farquharson R.A.

Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Joseph Farquharson, R.A.
  • the sere and the yellow leaf
  • signed l.r.: J. Farquharson
  • oil on canvas
  • 127 by 76 cm., 50 by 30 in.

Exhibited

London, Royal Academy, 1882, no. 577

Condition

The canvas has been relined and the paint surface is in good condition. There is a discoloured and dirty varnish and this painting should benefit from a light clean. Examination under ultra-violet light reveals retouchings on the path and around the figure, particularly above her head, an area of retouching at the top edge and in the lower right corner. Further scattered minor touches elsewhere. Held in a decorative moulded gilt frame in good condition.
"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

'My way of life is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf...' (William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, scene 3, lines 22-23)

This early painting by Farquharson was painted as Faquharson's sole exhibit for the Royal Academy of 1882, two years after he had graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy and a year after he had returned from Paris where he had trained in the atelier of the great painter Carolus-Duran. Sere and the Yellow Leaf has a PreRaphaelite fascination with detail and anticipates John Everett  Millais' famous painting of a faggot-gatherer Glen Birnam painted almost a decade later. Farquharson himself returned to the same subject in 1905 when he painted Now Came Still Evening on in which another female figure makes her way homeward with firewood and again in 1909 with Winter.