- 118
Philip Steegman
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Philip Steegman
- The Chinese Chef (Portrait of Hing)
- signed and dated '32; also signed, titled, inscribed and dated 1932 on an artist's label attached to the reverse
- oil on board
- 38 by 30cm.; 15 by 12in.
Exhibited
London, The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, as Portrait of Hing (details untraced).
Condition
The board is sound.
There are frame abrasions about the edges, with a few resultant losses to the right edge and upper right corner. There are some surface abrasions in the upper left corner and a further minor abrasion and tiny fleck of paint loss to the background near the centre of the right edge. The surface is dirty with specks of staining and would benefit from a light clean.
Ultraviolet light reveals no apparent signs of retouching.
Held under glass in a painted plaster frame; unexamined out of frame.
Please telephone the department on +44 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present lot.
"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
Having attended the Slade and studied in Rome during the early 1920s, Steegman developed the elegant and sophisticated handling evident in the present portrait and was commissioned to paint eminent sitters such as Somerset Maugham (1931, National Portrait Gallery, London) and David Horner (1926, Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton). Horner was the long term companion of Osbert Sitwell who Steegman came to know very well and it is not inconceivable that the present portrait depicts a member of Sitwell's own household staff. Sitwell had long been interested in the Orient and in 1933, the year after the present work was executed, he travelled to Peking with David Horner.