Sir Stanley Spencer R.A.

Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, where acquired by Wilfrid A. Evill July 1960 for £120.0.0, by whom bequeathed to Honor Frost in 1963

London, The Home of Wilfrid A. Evill, Contemporary Art Society, Pictures, Drawings, Water Colours and Sculpture, April - May 1961, (part III- section 2) cat. no.15;
Brighton, Brighton Art Gallery, The Wilfrid Evill Memorial Exhibition, June - August 1965, cat. no.215;
London, Royal Academy, Stanley Spencer RA, 20th September - 14th December 1980, cat. no.9, illustrated p.42;
New Haven, Yale Centre for British Art, Stanley Spencer: a Modern Visionary, 21st January - 22nd March 1981, cat. no.3.

The following condition report has been compiled by Jane McAusland FIIC, Conservator and Restorer of Art on Paper: Support This drawing is on a thick, wove, buff paper hinged into a good quality mount. There is a small tear at the upper right-hand corner and a 4cm horizontal tear on the left side, this side is uneven. The lower left corner is missing, this is outside the red crayon frame of the image. Medium The medium is in a good condition. However the wash maybe a little faded. Note: This work was viewed outside studio conditions. For enquiries about the present work please contact the department on +44 (0)20 7293 6424.
"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."

This extremely interesting drawing is the earliest extant study for Spencer's first major painting, The Nativity (Slade School of Fine Art, University of London). Set as the subject for the Slade Summer Competition Prize for 1912, the size of the finished work was prescribed in the rules of the competition and thus forced Spencer to move his composition to a scale that he had never before attempted. Awarded the Nettleship Prize for outstanding figure painting, the painting marks a definite point of development for Spencer, and the many differences between the present study and the finished painting highlight some of the many ideas and influences that Spencer was working around at this time.

Whilst the general layout of the composition, with the space divided by the curving fence which extends out towards us and the tall standing figure of the Madonna, remains constant into the final painting, Spencer's initial ideas feature a number of elements that alter the compositional balance radically. The most obvious of these are the suggestions of a clear architectural setting to the left of the drawing, giving a much more urban flavour to the image; the strongly blocked group of the Three Wise Men, who are replaced by a notably less active figure group; and the absence of the manger, traditionally the central feature of most renditions of the Nativity. The movement of the Wise Men suggests that the manger may be placed out of our sight beyond the wall, making this a very definite enclosure and the pose and attitude of the Madonna one of watchfulness. Close inspection of the left of the drawing, and very much in line with the gaze of the Madonna, does however reveal a structure that could well be a form of manger, thus perhaps suggesting that the Wise Men are departing having offered their homage.