- 121
Benjamin Williams Leader, R.A.
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Benjamin Williams Leader, R.A.
- An English Hayfield
- signed B.W. Leader and dated 1879 (lower left); signed and inscribed An English Hayfield B.W. Leader (on the stretcher)
- oil on canvas
- 36 by 54 in.
- 91.4 by 137.2 cm
Provenance
Sold by the artist to his London dealer, Thomas Wallis, March 1879
Polak, London, by 1958
Sale: Sotheby's, London, May 25, 1960, lot 115
Lady Maryoth James (acquired at the above sale; and sold: Christie's, London, March 6, 1970, lot 116)
Estate of Vivian Stogdale (acquired at the above sale; and sold: Christie's, London, November 8, 1996, lot 110, illustrated)
Fine Art of Oakham Ltd., Rutland, England
Acquired by the present owner in 1997
Polak, London, by 1958
Sale: Sotheby's, London, May 25, 1960, lot 115
Lady Maryoth James (acquired at the above sale; and sold: Christie's, London, March 6, 1970, lot 116)
Estate of Vivian Stogdale (acquired at the above sale; and sold: Christie's, London, November 8, 1996, lot 110, illustrated)
Fine Art of Oakham Ltd., Rutland, England
Acquired by the present owner in 1997
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy, 1879, no. 50
Literature
The artist's manuscript diary, 1879
Art Journal, 1879, p. 126
Art Annual, 1901, p. 25, illustrated p. 21
Ruth Wood, Benjamin Leader R.A. 1831-1923 His Life and Paintings, Suffolk, 1998, p. 57, illustrated
Art Journal, 1879, p. 126
Art Annual, 1901, p. 25, illustrated p. 21
Ruth Wood, Benjamin Leader R.A. 1831-1923 His Life and Paintings, Suffolk, 1998, p. 57, illustrated
Condition
Lined, cracking visible in white clouds; under UV: inpainting in sky to address aforementioned cracking, inpainting to cracking in white pigments in foreground area, inpainting around haycart on horizon line.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
In addition to its ambitious scale and charming subject, An English Hayfield also had many personal associations for Leader. He devoted considerable time to its creation in 1879, calling it The Hayfield in his notes. According to Leader, the figures were posed for by his wife, their young son Benjy and their baby daughter Ethel. The scene depicts a hayfield at Whittington, the village in Worcestershire where Leader resided between 1862 and 1889.