- 174
Philip Wilson Steer, O.M., N.E.A.C.
Estimate
600 - 800 GBP
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Description
- Philip Wilson Steer
- Hawes, Lancashire
- watercolour
- 25.5 by 38 cm.; 10 by 15 in.
Provenance
Thomas Agnew's & Sons, London, March 1947, no.150, where bought by Sir David Scott for £47.5.0
Condition
STRUCTURE
The work is on buff paper which has not been laid down. The sheet is attached to the mount by pieces of tape which run along the edges of the verso.
SURFACE
There are a few specks of surface matter on the sheet. Otherwise, the surface of the sheet is in good overall condition.
FRAME
Held under glass and presented within a cream mount in a simple rectilinear frame.
"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."
"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
'This is unlike most of Wilson Steer's watercolour sketches, but I like it for its wide sweeping landscape, typical of the North Country, and the great thunder clouds.' Sir David Scott
This group of watercolours shows the distinctive style that Steer was developing in the latter decades of his life. It is in watercolour that Steer's debt to Whistler can be most clearly seen. Focusing on the interplay of tone and light, they are often representations of the most elemental forms of nature.
Steer was in Hawes in Lancashire in the summer of 1904 where he painted several oil landscapes and many watercolours. Of these pictures Bruce Laughton has written; 'Enormous reaches of cloudy sky now attracted him, so that in several landscapes the horizon line is placed as low as one quarter of the height of the canvas (measured from the bottom). But these cloud effects, no matter how freely painted, show a very conventional formula. Water-colours precede oils in variations of given themes, such as the view near Hawes of an extensive plain with distant hills to right and left, and clouds casting shadows over the foreground.' (Bruce Laughton, Philip Wilson Steer 1860-1942, 1971, p. 93)
This group of watercolours shows the distinctive style that Steer was developing in the latter decades of his life. It is in watercolour that Steer's debt to Whistler can be most clearly seen. Focusing on the interplay of tone and light, they are often representations of the most elemental forms of nature.
Steer was in Hawes in Lancashire in the summer of 1904 where he painted several oil landscapes and many watercolours. Of these pictures Bruce Laughton has written; 'Enormous reaches of cloudy sky now attracted him, so that in several landscapes the horizon line is placed as low as one quarter of the height of the canvas (measured from the bottom). But these cloud effects, no matter how freely painted, show a very conventional formula. Water-colours precede oils in variations of given themes, such as the view near Hawes of an extensive plain with distant hills to right and left, and clouds casting shadows over the foreground.' (Bruce Laughton, Philip Wilson Steer 1860-1942, 1971, p. 93)