- 4
Tom Roberts
Estimate
28,000 - 38,000 AUD
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Description
- Tom Roberts
- THE WOOD SPLITTERS
- Signed with initials and dated 24 (lower left); inscribed on reverse To Mr D. and Mrs T. C. Royle / In memory of / Many Kindnesses / TR / -1929-
- Oil on panel
- 16 by 23.2cm
Provenance
The artist
Mr and Mrs D. Royle; gift from the above in 1929
By descent to Mrs Royle's sister, Victoria McLeay, Maldon
Stefan Heysen
Niels Scott, United Kingdom
Crawford Fine Art, South Yarra
Purchased from the above in 1986
Mr and Mrs D. Royle; gift from the above in 1929
By descent to Mrs Royle's sister, Victoria McLeay, Maldon
Stefan Heysen
Niels Scott, United Kingdom
Crawford Fine Art, South Yarra
Purchased from the above in 1986
Condition
UV inspection confirms there is no retouching. This work is in good stable condition with no visible defects.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
On Tom Roberts's final return to Australia from Britain in 1923, he bought a half-acre block and built a home at Kallista in the Dandenong Ranges. He called it 'Talisman', after his son Caleb's house in Sussex. Roberts would live here with Lillie, and then with his new wife Jean, until his death in 1931.
The Robertses' next-door neighbours were a couple named Royle. In fact, it was Gough Royle who had originally sold them the property, by cutting a corner off his orchard. The relationship was evidently a friendly one, as the gift and dedicatory inscription of this work show. Roberts also painted a portrait of Royle in appreciation of his help in packing the paintings for the 1926 Anthony Hordern exhibition.
The present work, with its timber-getting subject, is related to Dogging a log (circa 1924, National Gallery of Victoria), a painting Royle bought from Roberts's 1924 show at the Fine Art Society, Melbourne, and the two works bear an intriguing, nostalgic relationship to Roberts's earlier paintings on the theme, such as Wood splitters (circa 1886, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery) and Bullock team (circa 1893-1896, Manly Art Gallery), as well as to those of his good friend Frederick McCubbin.
The Robertses' next-door neighbours were a couple named Royle. In fact, it was Gough Royle who had originally sold them the property, by cutting a corner off his orchard. The relationship was evidently a friendly one, as the gift and dedicatory inscription of this work show. Roberts also painted a portrait of Royle in appreciation of his help in packing the paintings for the 1926 Anthony Hordern exhibition.
The present work, with its timber-getting subject, is related to Dogging a log (circa 1924, National Gallery of Victoria), a painting Royle bought from Roberts's 1924 show at the Fine Art Society, Melbourne, and the two works bear an intriguing, nostalgic relationship to Roberts's earlier paintings on the theme, such as Wood splitters (circa 1886, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery) and Bullock team (circa 1893-1896, Manly Art Gallery), as well as to those of his good friend Frederick McCubbin.