Briton Rivière, R.A. 1840-1920

Edward North Buxton M.P., of Knighton, Buckhurst Hill, his sale Christie's, 10 March 1916, lot 93

STRUCTURE Original canvas in good stable condition. CATALOGUE COMPARISON The illustration is broadly representative. PAINT SURFACE The paint surface is very dirty. There is broad craquelure in the sky and further areas of craquelure to the wall off the right border and to the dog, lower left. There is also a vertical stretcher mark to the centre of the canvas. Some further scattered flecks of dirt which should be easily removed. Otherwise good original condition. ULTRAVIOLET UV light reveals two small patches of retouching, off the upper edge in the centre, the other off the lower edge, also in the centre. FRAME Held in an ornate plaster gilt frame in fair 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."

Briton Riviére was particularly fond of collie dogs and painted several paintings of sheep dogs, including Lost or Strayed, The Long Sleep, Old Playfellows and Rus in Urbe (sold in these rooms, 12 June 2003, lot 259) in which a young shepherd and his dog are seated in the doorway of a town house, each perturbed by the urban clamour around them. Riviére's art became extremely popular after he took up the mantle of the late Sir Edwin Landseer and painted sensitive portrayals of animals and Man in which the beasts emphasise the portrayals of human emotion. Perhaps his most famous work is Prisoners also known as Fidelity of 1869 (FIG 1. Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight) in which a young poacher and his dog await trial in a bare prison cell. The sympathy of the faithful dog for his master caught the imagination of the Victorian public and it was a similar appeal to that of Landseer's Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner (Victoria and Albert Museum). Riviére's biographer Walter Armstrong has described the artist's ability to depict emotion in the expressions of his animals without overly anthropomorphising them; 'Speaking of him broadly as an artist, Riviére's strong points are his sympathy with animals, his pleasant sense of colour, his directness of conception, and his fine vein of poetry. The first of these saves him from that besetting sin of the English animalier, the dressing up in human sentiments, and the setting among human conditions, of the lower animals. His sympathy with dogs is too thorough to permit of their degradation into half-taught actors. He paints them for what they are, a symbol of what man was once, the rough material of civilisation with virtues and vices yet unblunted by convention... His interest, in fact, is in the animal's real self.' (Walter Armstrong, Briton Riviére, Royal Academician, His Life and Work, special edition of The Art Annual, 1891, p. 24) 

Riviére captured a similar sentiment in War Time in which an old shepherd has received bad news about the death of his son whilst his loyal collie looks on having followed his master into the snow covered farmyard. The painting illustrates the lines of Riviére's brother-in-law the English poet and dog breeder Sydney Thompson Dobell (1824-1874);

"Over valley and wold
Wherever I turn my head
There's a mildew and a mould,
The sun's going out overhead,
And I'm very old,
And Tommy's dead'

War Time was bought by Edward North Buxton (1840-1924) the British conservationist and politician. He was the third son of Sir Edward North Buxton, 2nd Baronet (1812-1858) and his wife, Catherine Gurney. Buxton was elected Liberal MP for the Walthamstow constituency in 1885-6. He advocated the provision of open, accessible land with a particular interest in providing space close to cities. With his brother Thomas, he played a major role in conserving the forests Epping, Hainault and Hatfield for public use.