L12040

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Lot 193
  • 193

Edward Lear

Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
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Description

  • Edward Lear
  • Philae, Egypt
  • Pen and brown ink and watercolour over pencil, on laid paper;
    inscribed lower left: Philae / 2pm / 30 Jany.1867, numbered lower right: (273) and further inscribed with colour notes

Provenance

With Agnew's, London,
by whom sold to John, Lord D'Ayton (1922-2003);
thence by descent to the present owners

Exhibited

London, Sotheby's, Edward Lear, An Exhibition of Works by Edward Lear from the D'Ayton International Collection, assembled by John D'Ayton, 2004, no. 22

Condition

This watercolour has been well preserved and carefully presented. Some of the more delicate watercolour pigments have faded slightly and the sheet has darkened a little. There is a repaired tear, measuring 20 mm, located at the bottom left hand edge of the sheet. The sheet has not been laid down, but it is attached to the back board at several points verso. For further information about this lot please contact either Mark Griffith-Jones (mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com) or Emmeline Hallmark (emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com).
"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

The present watercolour is dated 30th January 1867. Taken from the rocky banks of the Nile to the west of the island of Philae, Lear appears to delight in his depiction of the dramatic landscape, while the Ptolomaic Temple of Isis and the Kiosk of Trajan are dwarfed by towering cliffs.  

When Lear had last visited Philae, thirteen years previously, he spent ten days exploring the island and set up camp in the Temple of Isis. He developed a strong attachment to the area and described it as 'more like a real fairy island than anything else I can compare it to. It is very small, and was formerly all covered with temples, of which the ruins of five or six now only remain. The great Temple of Isis, on the terrace of which I am now writing, is so extremely wonderful that no words can give the least idea of it. The Nile is divided here into several channels, by other rocky islands, and beyond you see the desert and the great granite hills of Assouan'.1 On his second trip to Philae in January 1867 Lear was even more impressed, describing it as 'more beautiful than ever.' 2 

Lear executed over twenty oil paintings of Philae. One, which was clearly based on the present sheet, was sold at Sotheby's, London on the 24th April 2012 (£37,250).

1. V. Noakes, Edward Lear Selected Letter, Oxford 1988, p. 124
2. V. Noakes, Edward Lear Selected Letter, Oxford 1988, p. 216