Eric Ravilious

Corporate Collection, UK

The work is on wove paper which has not been laid down although the sheet appears to have been adhered to the backboard in each corner and in places along the edges. There are artist's pinholes in each corner and in places along the edges. The edges of the sheet are intentionally uneven. There are a few marks of dirt along the edges, particularly along the lower edge and in the lower right corner. Otherwise the surface of the sheet appears to be in good overall condition. Held under glass and within a cream mount in a wooden frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

Appointed an Official War Artist for the Admiralty in 1940, Ravilious was posted to H.M.S. Dolphin, a submarine training base in Gosport, Hampshire where he began work on the 'Submarine Series' of lithographs. The present work, in which men gather informally around a table in a cramped room full of machinery, appears to relate to this period.

Ravilious wrote about his experiences of working in a submarine in a letter to E.M.O'R. Dickey at the Ministry of Information. 'Conditions are difficult for work. It is awfully hot below when submarines dive and every compartment small and full of people at work. ... There is something jolly good about it, if only I can manage it, a blue gloom with coloured lights and everyone in shirts and braces. People go to sleep in odd positions across tables.' (Helen Binyon, Eric Ravilious: Memoir of an Artist, Lutterworth Press, London, 1983, p.122).