Benjamin West, P.R.A.

John Baskett, London
Acquired from the above, 1970

London, John Baskett, Exhibition of Old Master and English Drawings, 1970, no. 7
Morgan 2001, no. 40
Yale 2010, no. 83

The sheet has been carefully preserved and presented. The work has not been laid down, it is attached to the mount along the sheet edges. There is some minor surface dirt overall. There is a diagonal crease at the bottom right hand corner of the sheet and there is a small crease in the top left hand corner. The medium has remained clear and strong. For further information on this lot please contact either Mark Griffith-Jones (mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com - 0044207 293 5083), Emmeline Hallmark (emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com - 0044207 293 5407) or Nancy Bialler (nancy.bialler@sothebys.com - 001 212 606 7222).
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 present drawing can be dated to the mid 1780s, a time when West had embarked on a series of seven landscapes inspired by Windsor Great Park (see Helmut von Erffa and Allen Staley, The Paintings of Benjamin West, 1986, nos. 473-479, pp. 429-434).  There are three other tree studies in the Morgan Library and Museum, New York (see Ruth Kraemer, Drawings by Benjamin West and his son Raphael Lamar West, 1975, no. 174, pl. 96) and a further pencil study entitled Herne's Oak in Windsor Little Park (Boston Museum of Fine Arts).