Frederick Richard Lee

A set of three paintings, oil on panel, uncradled. Each of these are lovely and decorative images with nice retention of details, coloration, and paint surface, and they may be hung in their present state. 1. Falls in the Valley of Desolation: 2 small retouches are visible in extreme upper left corner and one very small retouch to blue in sky at center. Ultraviolet reveals a few scattered retouches here and there as well as some reinforcement in some tree branches and rocks. 2. Upper Falls of Moness: Extreme lower left an old damage is visible to the naked eye, as is some retouching to a vertical scratch at lower right, but neither of these is disturbing. Ultraviolet reveals some minor retouching here and there, and specifically to the minor scratch at lower right. 3. Lower Falls of Moness: Some very minor abrasion, which will be covered by the frame, is visible along extreme right, but it is not at all disturbing. Ultraviolet reveals tiny retouches here and there. The retouches to each of these paintings has been applied well and no further restoration is recommended. Each in a carved and giltwood frame with minor chips and losses to 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.
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.

The dramatic natural phenomena that Lee depicts in these three paintings have for centuries been lauded by artists and tourists alike.  Bolton Abbey, the picturesque estate on the River Wharfe, a family home of the Dukes of Devonshire, is famous for both its topography and for the majestic Abbey.  It has been immortalized by the painters Edwin Landseer, with whom Lee would sometimes collaborate, and J.M.W. Turner; and by the writer William Wordsworth, in his poem The White Doe of Rylston.  The Falls of Moness, the forests of indigenous birch trees, and the River Tay of the region of Aberfeldy, Scotland, were the subject of Robert Burns poem of 1787, The Birks of Aberfeldy.