Lot 57
  • 57

Edmund Blair Leighton

Estimate
150,000 - 225,000 USD
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Description

  • Edmund Blair Leighton
  • Ribbons and Laces for Very Pretty Faces
  • signed E. BLAIR LEIGHTON and dated 1902 (lower left)

  • oil on canvas
  • 42 by 22 in.
  • 106.6 by 55.8 cm

Provenance

C. Beatson Blair, Whalley House, Whalley Range, Manchester
Sale: Christie's, London, December 20, 1946, lot 63
Williams Gallery, London (acquired at the above sale)

H&P De Cassers, 13A Montpellier Parade, Harrogate (acquired from the above on May 19, 1947)
The property of a lady and gentleman (and sold: Bonham's London: November 11, 2007, lot 77, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Literature

The Catalogue of the Berlin Photographic Company, New York, 1905, illustrated p. 10  
Rudolf de Cordova. "The Art of Mr. E. Blair Leighton," Windsor Magazine, vol. XXI, 1905, illustrated p. 588
Alfred Yockney, The Art Annual: The Art of E. Blair Leighton, London Christmas 1913, illustrated p. 9
Kara Ross, "E. Blair Leighton: The Prominent Outsider," Fine Art Connoisseur, May/June 2011, illustrated (forthcoming)

 

Condition

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in lovely condition. The painting has been recently restored and should be hung in its current condition. The canvas has been lined and although the cracking is slightly raised in the upper center, the surface is very well preserved. There do not appear to be any retouches to the work.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Catalogue Note

Though Leighton may be best known for his medieval compositions, he also painted a large number of nineteenth century costume pieces which share similar subject of male female interaction and romantic gesture. When one looks at Leighton's body of work as a whole, it is clear that he captures a certain quality that reaches the core of human emotion. Despite differences in time, the subject of love and romance are the same and universal.

Like Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Leighton paid tremendous attention to the detail and historical accuracy of his work. He had an extensive collection of original eighteenth century costumes, instruments, and weaponry that he made good use of in his studio. It must be said that a key element in both his medieval and eighteenth century costume paintings was a careful representation of clothing styles and fabrics. If Leighton could not find an original piece that suited him, his wife would work with a seamstress in an upstairs room recreating a replica from original dress patterns. He must have found these costumes very beautiful and had a true passion for painting them.  A particularly good example of this is Ribbons and Laces for Very Pretty Faces which was a very popular work after it left the artist's studio. In this painting alone, Blair Leighton utilizes nineteen different types of fabrics: from lace to silk, embroidery to velvet, some quilted and all painted with fine detail, skill, and dedication.   

In the present work, three woman stand at a doorway dressed in the most magnificent of gowns examining a selection of beautiful textiles and ribbons. The brunette appears to be as taken with the seller as with the wares he offers, while the youngest leans on her sister's arm, gazing off, having lost interest in the finery she is too young to appreciate. Ribbons and Laces for Very Pretty Faces is a veneration of beauty, not only of woman and fabrics, but of young adulthood as well.

The copyrights for this work were purchased by the Berlin Photographic Company shortly after it was painted and the image was reproduced by them before 1905 in fine quality prints for public consumption.