George Richmond, R.A.

Mrs Miriam Hartley, great-great granddaughter of the artist, her sale in these Rooms, 18 November 1976, lot 181A;
D. A. Heald his sale, Christie's, London, 19 March 1985, lot 35;
Agnew's, London

 

Raymond Lister, George Richmond, 1981, pl. 12, fig. 15  

The pen and ink has survived very well. The paper has not discoloured. Located at the centre left of the composition, is a very small area of surface dirt, this can be seen in the illustration. Along the extreme edges of the sheet tiny pin holes are visible. These perhaps were made by the artist himself. The sheet has not been laid down, instead it has been attached to a backboard at two points verso.
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According to Richmond's notebook he made this drawing on 29^th January 1827 and therefore, five days after lot 122. Richmond illustrates the passage from the Bible 'and Samson took the doors of the gates of the city and the two posts and went with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulder and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron' (Judges Chapter 16:3).

The drawing displays some of the key influences on Richmond's work during this period. The muscular form of Samson is comparable to many figures that appear within William Blake's oeuvre, for example the central figure in The Blasphemer (Tate, London).

Michelangelo's influence should be noted too, as the group of artists known as the 'Ancients' (see lot 122) were known to have copied from prints after him.  In his book Raymond Lister makes the comparison between Michelangelo's figure of Christ in his drawing of the Crucifixion (British Museum) and Richmond's treatment of Samson here.

Given that the present drawing has been squared, it is likely that Richmond intended to work up this image into an oil painting.  However, no such work is recorded.