David Roberts, R.A.

Given by the artist to his daughter, Christine Bicknell (1821-1872), wife of Henry Sanford Bicknell, on the occasion of her 31^st birthday;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 July 1997, lot 75, where acquired by the present collector.

J. Ballantine, The Life of David Roberts, R.A., Edinburgh 1866, p. 251, no. 175.

The catalogue illustration suggests that the painting is slightly redder than it actually is. The Picture is in excellent condition, with no apparent damage or major loss of paint, with the exception of one very small chip in the paint on the far right, near the frame edge. There are also two very small sports of white residue on the surface of the picture, one right of centre and the other upper right. The panel is in good condition and remains flat and stable. There is a slightly discoloured varnish overall. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no signs of restoration and the picture apperas to be in excellent, original condition. The paintign is held in a gilt wood frame, in good overall condition. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com.
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In September 1851 Roberts embarked on a trip to Italy with his friend Edmund Cotterell. En route they stopped first at Brussels, before travelling on through Germany and Switzerland. At Basel and Lucerne Roberts was particularly impressed by the splendid views of the Alps, and did a number of sketches at Lucerne, before crossing the St. Gothard Pass. On 16th September 1851 he wrote to his son-in-law, Henry Bicknell, that he had 'passed the day at Lucerne, making studies of the scenery of the Lake'. A watercolour by Roberts dated 'Sept 12th 1851' and inscribed Lucerne shows a view of the town, with distant mountains beyond (private collection)¹.

Christine Bicknell was David Roberts's only child by his wife, the Scottish actress Margaret McLachlan, whom he married in 1820. The marriage did not last long but Roberts was particularly attached to his daughter, and gave many of his paintings to Christine, often on her birthday. His View of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, painted in 1861 (Guildhall Art Gallery, London) is similarly inscribed "To my dear Christine on her birthday 1861", and his View of Gibraltar from Ronda of 1853, and The Sea of Galilee of 1850, are both identified as having been gifts from the artist to his daughter in the sale catalogue of Henry Bicknell's collection, held by Christie's in 1881.

To be included in Helen Guiterman and Briony Llewellyn's forthcoming catalogue raisoneé on the works of David Roberts.

1. See H. Guiterman and B. Llewellyn, David Roberts, Oxford 1986, p. 124, no. 202.