Edward Lear

Miss Clementina Macdonald Lockhart (a gift from the artist)
Spink, London
John, Lord D'Ayton; thence by descent to the present owners

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. 23

The following condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar Ltd., of 13 & 14 Mason's Yard, London SW1Y 6BU: UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition The canvas is unlined and is ensuring an even and secure structural support. Paint surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer and the only retouchings visible under ultraviolet light are a few very fine lines infilling craquelure. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in very good and stable condition and no further work is required.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Lear's oil paintings, with few exceptions, were derived from his rapid 'on the spot' pencil or pen sketches, and the present work relates closely to his watercolour of the same subject, dated 1867. Lear had first visited Philae thirteen years earlier, when he spent ten days exploring the island, setting up camp in the Temple of Isis. He developed a strong sense of attachment to the place and wrote: 'The great Temple of Isis [...] is so extremely wonderful that no words can give the least idea of it' (Lear to his wife Ann, 7 February 1854, quoted in Vivien Noakes, Edward Lear Selected Letters, Oxford, 1988). As well as many watercolours, Lear painted at least twenty oils of Philae, often concentrating on its impressive setting rather than the ruins themselves.

The present oil is taken from a viewpoint on the rocky bank of the Nile to the west of the island. The focus is upon the foreground and the colours and rounded forms of the rocks are depicted in minute detail. The island takes a secondary role in the picture and the Ptolemaic Temple of Isis and the Kiosk of Trajan are dwarfed by the towering cliffs along the banks of the Nile.