- 77
Sir Henry Raeburn R.A., P.R.S.A. Edinburgh 1756-1823
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description
- Sir Henry Raeburn R.A.
- Portrait of Ms. Julia Kerr
- oil on canvas laid down on panel
- 29 3/4 by 24 3/4 in.
- 75.5 by 63 cm.
Provenance
Christie's, London, 1908;
Cottier & Co. before 1911;
Christie's, 1912;
With Agnews, London;
P. Jackson Higgs, New York, at an unknown time;
Anonymous sale: Sotheby's, New York, April 2, 1996, lot 95;
There purchased by the present collector.
Literature
J. Greig, Sir Henry Raeburn R.A., His Life and Works with a Catalogue of His Pictures, London 1911, p. 50.
Condition
Canvas is laid down on panel. The surface is stable with fairly good impasto on the figure; pigment separation on hair, hairband, blouse and chest; pressed craquelure otherwise. Under UV light: very fine craquelure filling on figure but substantial inpainting on face and neck, and around the top of her head, and upper right corner.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
When writing the complete catalogue of Raeburn a number of works had to be put aside because of insufficient visual evidence and, regrettably, this Raeburn portrait was one such example. The sitter was Miss Julia Wardrop, later Mrs Kerr, of whom no other biographical details are currently available, but the artist painted other members of the Wardrop family. At present, this writer knows the painting only from photographs. Stylistically, it probably dates from the first years of the new century. Among other points, the portrait has the dark palette of Romanticism that Raeburn adopted then and used until his death. The sitter presented the standard problem for a European portraitist of that time: a brilliant white dress which had to be shown against the newly fashionable, very dark background. All the major masters had to develop ways of handling this problem, Lawrence, Goya, Ingres or Raeburn. Here we see some of Raeburn's methods, including the strong, cool, Northern light, falling from a high and angled source.
David Mackie
Cambridge University
David Mackie
Cambridge University