- 96
David Roberts R.A. 1796-1864
Description
- David Roberts R.A.
- The chapel of St Nicholas, Dixmunde, Flanders
- signed l.r.:David Roberts R.A. 1864
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Acquired for £630 from the artist by John Pender, by whom sold, Christie's, 29th May 1897, lot 73, bt. Agnew for £567;
Acquired by J. Pierpont Morgan by 1907;
By descent to J.Pierpont Morgan Jr., by whose executors sold, Christie's, 31st March 1944, lot 83, bt. Hill;
F. Berry, by whom sold, Christie's, 26th July 1957, lot 88, bt. Frost & Reed
Exhibited
Glasgow, Royal Institute of Arts, 1865, no.219;
London, South Kensington, International Exhibition, 1874, no.208;
Manchester, Jubilee Exhibition, 1887, no.625 (lent by John Pender)
Literature
Letter from David Roberts to Christine Bicknell, 25th August 1861;
Letter from David Roberts to Mrs Pender, 13th August 1863;
Letter from David Roberts to Henry Sandford Bicknell, April 1864;
The Times, 30th April 1864, p.14;
The Times, 18th May 1864, p.10;
James Ballantine, The Life of David Roberts, R.A. 1866, p.224, no.277 in the list of pictures;
Catalogue of Pictures of Sir John Pender's Collection, 1894, p. 64
Catalogue Note
Dixmunde corresponds to the modern day town of Diksmuide in Belgium. It is situated on the banks of the River Ijzer, and was largely destroyed in the First World War. The church of St Nicholas was completely destroyed and the present painting provides an important record of how it once looked. In a letter to his daughter, Christine Bicknell, from Bruges dated 25th August 1861 Roberts writes "Early on Friday morning we left for Dixmunde [sic] some 20 miles from here, a Church which is rendered interesting by one of the most gorgious [sic] and beautiful [screens] even to be found in this country". In another letter of 13th August 1863 to Mrs Pender Roberts wrote "Pray tell Mr Pender that the first Picture I will begin on my return is an interior of a fine Flemish church I have long thought of, which I intend for him".