Robin Ironside

Redfern Gallery, London, where purchased by Sir David Scott, 4 May 1948

STRUCTURE The work is on wove paper which has been laid down. The edges of the sheet are stained and dirty in places. SURFACE The paint surface is in good overall condition. FRAME Held under glass and presented within a cream mount in a simple wooden 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."

'This is an amusing little work of fancy delicately executed.' Sir David Scott

The focus of Ironside's work as a painter was in theatre design. His work including designs for Sylvia at Covent Garden in 1952 and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Edinburgh Festival in 1957. Yet he was also a distinguished writer on art, writing a good introduction to the Neo-Romantic movement in his Painting Since 1939 and biographies of the painters Philip Wilson Steer (1944) and David Jones (1949), and collaborating with John Gere on the book Pre-Raphaelite Painters (1948). In this work his penchant for surrealist fantasy is predominant as in The Somnambulist of 1943 which was presented by the Contemporary Art Society to the Tate, whilst Ironside was an assistant keeper. His first solo show was at the Redfern Gallery in 1944, where four years later Sir David Scott bought this watercolour.