Joseph Wolf, R.I.

Sotheby's Belgravia, London, 1 April 1980, lot 182, where purchased by Sir David Scott for £500

STRUCTURE Original canvas. PAINT SURFACE Scattered craquelure in places but otherwise in good overall condition. ULTRAVIOLET UV light reveals retouching to leaves, upper left. FRAME Held in a wooden circular frame, diameter 11in.
"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."

Joseph Wolf was born in Mörz near Coblenz in Germany. He had an early interest in ornithology and would spend hours watching and drawing birds when a child. He was apprenticed for three years to the Brothers Becker, lithographers of Coblenz, and subsequently became a lithographer at Darmstadt. Shortly afterwards Wolf went to Antwerp in search of practical instruction in drawing, where he mainly painted ornithological studies. In 1848 he left Germany for London, where he obtained employment at the British Museum.

Wolf drew for a very large number of publications on natural history, two of the most important being John Gould's Birds of Great Britain and Birds of Asia, and he also worked for the Royal Zoological Society. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1849 and 1877 and at the Royal Institution in 1874. Many of his drawings of birds and animals are in the Victoria and Albert Museum.