Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, R.A.

The medium is in very good condition. The blue paper has changed colour somewhat and this is particularly noticeable where the sheet has been protected by the mount There are scattered foxmarks throughout the sheet (these are evident in the illustration). There is also an area, located towards the bottom right hand corner, where the paper appears to have been rubbed.
"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."

Georgiana, Duchess of Bedford was the youngest daughter of Alexander, 4^th Duke of Gordon.  In June 1803 she married the recently widowed John, 6^th Duke of Bedford (1766-1839), with whom she had ten children.

The Duke of Bedford was an important early patron of Landseer who during the 1820s and 1830s painted the family on many occasions. Landseer became a regular guest at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire and often accompanied the family to The Dourne, their hunting-lodge in the Cairngorms of Scotland.

Landseer became particularly intimate with the Duchess and within aristocratic and artistic circles it was understood that they were conducting an affair. There were even rumours that Landseer was the father of the Duchess's youngest child. After the Duke of Bedford's death in 1839, Landseer tried to formalise the relationship by proposing to Georgiana. However, she refused his offer.

Famous for her beauty, opinion regarding the Duchess's personality was divided. The diarist La Marchant described her as 'a bold, bad woman', while others admired her sense of fun.  It was said that she was high-spirited and that she surrounded herself with a 'gay circle of fashion, of statesmen, artists and lions of all kinds' (see Campbell Lennie, Landseer: The Victorian Paragon, 1976, p.56-57).

The present work shows the Duchess looking out of a window at sailing boats on the sea. Two locations for the execution of this drawing have been suggested. The first is Nice, France were the Bedford's spent time during parts of the 1830s. The second is Brighton, where the Duke and his family rented a house and where Landseer is known to have been a guest.   

Richard Ormond has dated this drawing to between 1830 and 1835. We would like to thank him for his help in cataloguing this lot.