Penleigh Boyd

(possibly) Sedon Galleries, Melbourne (bears inscription Seddon [sic] on reverse)
Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 23 June 1976, lot 938
Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 8 November 1978, lot 513

Penleigh Boyd, Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne, 13-24 October 1914, cat. 39, Bronze horse fountain (or possibly cat. 38, Playing fountain)

Overall work is in good condition. Some slight fading of watercolour consistent with age. Work is framed under glass and in contemporary gilded frame with beading and ornate corner scrolls.
"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."

After studying, painting and marrying in Europe in 1911-1913, the young Penleigh Boyd returned to Australia and began a most productive and successful period. He held solo exhibitions in 1913 and 1914, came second (to the well-established W. Lister Lister) in the competition for a picture of the site of the Federal Capital, and in 1914 took out the Wynne Prize for landscape.

The oils and watercolours he exhibited at this time featured not only the Yarra Valley near his new home at Warrandyte, and work from travels to Tasmania, Sydney and the Blue Mountains, but also many European souvenirs. The present work, a confidently but delicately rendered view of a fountain blurred by spray, seen through an art nouveau foreground screen of saplings, depicts Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's Observatory Fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris.