Alfred Elmore, R.A.

Sotheby's, date not known, where bought by Sir David Scott as part of a lot with William Edward Frost's Terpsichore (lot 49 of this sale)

ENGRAVED:
Edward Francis Finden, undated (mid 19th century)

STRUCTURE There is some loss to the panel edges on the reverse at four points where the nails have eroded. Otherwise the panel is in good stable condition. PAINT SURFACE There is scattered paint separation, mainly to the figures. Surface dirt throughout. ULTRAVIOLET UV light reveals no visible retouching. FRAME Held in a simple gilded composite frame with some wear to the gilding.
"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."

'Then remember, wherever your goblet is crown'd,
Through this world whether eastward or westward you roam,
When a cup to the smile of dear woman goes round,
Oh! remember the smile which adorns her at home.'
We may roam though this world, from Irish Melodies by Thomas Moore

Alfred Elmore was born at Clonakilty in County Cork, the son of an army surgeon. In 1833 he entered the Royal Academy schools in London, and the following year he exhibited for the first time at the Academy. Many of his early subjects were religious, and painted in a style that reflected his knowledge of paintings by the old masters which he studied in the course of successive visits to France, German and Italy. He lived for a while in Munich, and remained in Rome for as long as two years in the early 1840s. In later years he turned principally to historical and literary subjects, which were on frequent occasions engraved.

Elmore was encountered by Frederic Leighton in 1851, on the occasion of Leighton's visiting London. The young artist was impressed by Elmore's art, which he understood as owing much to Continental example, and which seemed to him to indicate that English art was moving towards a more serious and high minded purpose.

The more informal paintings that Elmore undertook, such as the present, intended perhaps as 'fancy subjects', are analogous to the figurative subjects without ostensible narrative that Leighton undertook from the late 1850s onwards. It may be that Elmore was in turn influenced by Leighton; the dark haired model in the present painting bears a marked resemblance to the model Nanna Risi, the mistress of Anselm Feuerbach, whom Leighton represented in a series of works in 1859. The present painting appears not to have been exhibited and was perhaps made expressly to provide the basis for Finden's engraving.