Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Bought from the artist by John Ruskin, from c.1855 and given by him to Constance Hilliard (later Churchill) after 1865;
J.S. Maas & Co, 1973;
Mrs S. Hermele, London;
Sotheby's, Belgravia, 19 March 1979, lot 4;
Julian Hartnoll, London;
Christie's, 1 March 1983, lot 97, where purchased by Stanley J. Seeger;
Seeger sale, Sotheby's, 14 June 2001, lot 98;
Private collection

London, Burlington Fine Arts Club, Pictures, Drawings, Designs and Studies by the Late Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1883, no.10;
Royal Academy, Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Painter and Poet, 1973, no.62;
Baden-Baden, Staatliche Kunsthalle; Frankfurt am Main, Stadtische Galerie and Stadelsches Kunstinstitut, Praraffaeliten, 1973, no.101

H.C. Marillier, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1899, pp.42-3, illus. p.42, no.32;
E.T. Cooke and Alexander Wedderburn (ed.), The Works of John Ruskin, 39 volumes, 1903-12, vol.XXXVI, pp.206, 489;
Oswald Doughty, Dante Gabriel Rossetti - A Victorian Romantic, 1949, p.137;
Oswald Doughty and J.R. Wahl (ed.), Letters of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 4 volumes, 1965, vol.I, p.147;
Virginia Surtees, Dante Gabriel Rossetti - The Paintings and Drawings - A Catalogue Raisonne, 2 volumes, 1971, p.23, no.59;
John Nicholl, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1975, illus. p.56

STRUCTURE The sheet appears to be sound. There are some faint signs of craquelure to the gum arabic; otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. FRAME Held under glass in a gilt plaster frame with a cream mount; unexamined out of frame.
"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 delightful early watercolour was made by Rossetti while staying with William Bell Scott in Newcastle in June 1853, possibly by lamplight. Rossetti mentioned the picture in a letter to his brother Michael; 'I have made a little watercolour of a woman in yellow, which I shall be able to sell, I have no doubt.' The watercolour was bought some years later by John Ruskin who in 1865 had a frame made for the picture and later gave it to the niece of his friend Pauline Trevelyan, Constance Hilliard who lived for a time at Ruskin's house at Denmark Hill.