Ben Nicholson, O.M.

Marlborough Fine Art, London, whence acquired by Ms Betsy Washington Whiting 

The relief is mounted onto its original backboard which bears its original Marlborough Gallery label and artist's inscription in red chinagraph with photo archive no. ph822 on the reverse. This number also appears on the verso of the relief. On the relief itself, there is a very small old surface abrasion to the upper right corner and this has been sensitively restored with a spot of retouching visible under ultraviolet light. All other surface marks are integral parts of the composition and relate to the process of making the relief and the work is in excellent overall condition. Held under glass in a frame that is a modern reproduction of Nicholson's gesso box frames with lapped corners; unexamined out of frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

'...the reliefs - both the white ones & the later primitive reliefs - are what I'd choose to stand or fall by ( - the reliefs, then the dwgs, then the ptgs)...'
(Nicholson, letter to Herbert Read, 16 May 1962, quoted in P.Khoroche, Ben Nicholson: drawings and painted reliefs, Lund Humphries, Aldershot and Burlington, 2002, p.101)

Nicholson's move to the Ticino, Switzerland in March 1958 with Felicitas Vogler spurred on a fresh period of creativity.  His new surroundings inspired a return to the pared down abstraction of the reliefs that he had first created in the 1930s and although he had produced a few reliefs in the intermediary period, it was not until the late 1950s that once again they became an important focus of his work. 

Like the first reliefs from the 1930s such as 1934 (relief - version 1) (Private Collection), the present work combines a concern for pure abstract form with an acute sensitivity to the three dimensional nature of the material itself, in this case, synthetic pavetex board. By this stage, Nicholson was secure enough financially not to worry about the cost of his materials and as such, he preferred to use a particular type of hardboard rather than wood or cheaper materials which expanded and contracted too readily. He explained to Adrian Stokes that 'I like the tough resistance of material bec. it forces one into a feeling for it & for the "idea". A little bit like my poodle Black Billy who tugs at a paint rag & the more I pull the more he growls & harder he pulls, in fact rather a good description of making a relief?' (Nicholson, letter to Adrian Stokes, 15 May 1964, quoted in Khoroche, ibid., p.82).

Although the titles of the reliefs from this later period appear to denote a particular place, Nicholson only added the titles after each work was completed. In some cases such as 1966 (Carnac - red and brown) (Private Collection), the carved forms do clearly relate to the megalithic stones that Nicholson experienced at Carnac & Morbihan in Brittany. However, in the case of the present work, although he had visited Cascais in Portugal in October 1964, the title is more suggestive of the sensory experiences and personal associations that the relief evoked rather than any specific landmark.