Gwen John

The Estate of the Artist
Acquired from the above via Matthiesen Ltd, London, by Dennis Cohen in 1946
Gifted by the above to the family of the present owners after 1968

London, Tate, Ethel Walker, Frances Hodgkins, Gwen John: A Memorial Exhibition, May - June 1952, cat. no.112, where lent by Dennis Cohen;
London, Matthiesen Ltd, Gwen John, 8th June - 8th July 1961, cat. no.7, where lent by Dennis Cohen;
London, The Arts Council of Great Britain, Gwen John: A Retrospective Exhibition, 26th January - 2nd March 1968, cat. no.43, where lent by Dennis Cohen, with tour to Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield and National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.

Cecily Langdale, Gwen John: With a Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings and a Selection of the Drawings, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1987, cat. no.114, illustrated pl.236.

The following report has been kindly prepared with the assistance of Hamish Dewar, of Hamish Dewar Ltd,13 & 14 Mason's Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. Structural Condition: The canvas has been painted on both sides and is evenly and securely attached to what would certainly appear to be the original fixed wooden stretcher. The verso has a small study of a head and scattered patches of a preparatory layer of toned primer. There are two exhibition labels attached to the upper and lower horizontal stretcher-bars. Paint Surface: Recto: The paint surface has a thin, uneven varnish layer. There are several areas of slightly raised craquelure, most notably to the left of the sitter's head and shoulders, to the right of the upper part of the sitter's left arm, to the left of the lower part of the sitter's right arm, and towards the upper right corner of the composition. Several of these lines of craquelure require very minor localised consolidation. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows scattered retouchings, the most significant of which are: 1) a horizontal line of retouching which measures approximately 6cm. with associated small spots and lines of retouching towards the upper left corner of the composition; 2) small scattered spots within the arm of the chair towards the centre of the left vertical edge; 3) small, carefully applied spots and lines to the sitter's face and to the upper part of her dress; 4) scattered spots and lines within the upper left and right quadrants of the composition; 5) small intermittent retouchings along the upper part of the right vertical edge. Other small spots and lines of retouching are also visible. Verso: The paint surface has a thin, uneven varnish layer. The paint surface is stable. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows several retouchings below and to the left and right of the painted area, and some small spots and lines to the sitter's face. Recto: The painting would therefore appear to be in fairly good condition and would benefit from the localised consolidation of any areas of raised craquelure. Verso: The painting therefore appears to be in fairly good and stable condition. Held in a gilt and painted plaster frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

An unfinished study of the sitter's head has been executed on the reverse of the present work.

The present work is one of a series of enigmatic female portraits of an unknown sitter, referred to as the 'convalescent' model, painted from the late 1910s to the early 1920s. These works, which include The Precious Book, are considered to be amongst the best and most mature of Gwen John's oeuvre. The series was painted in John’s studio at 29 rue Terre Neuve and are nearly impossible to order chronologically due to the extremely nuanced variations of the composition: a young woman in a blue or grey dress in two-thirds profile, a pyramidal body, her eyes downcast, expression impassive, seated in a wicker chair next to a table, usually with a teapot and cup, holding a letter or book.

The reason for John’s intense repetition is not explicit, but the subject undoubtedly served as a vehicle for her to explore her primary concern: the formal aspects of painting. They are not an exercise in portraiture in the conventional sense - they are not commissioned, the sitter is unknown and they do not convey an overwhelming concern with character. Rather, in the delicate variations of tone, colour, texture and arrangement, they reveal a typically modernist engagement with the process of picture-making.

In The Convalescent, superfluous details are stripped from the scene, the background reduced to a wash of colour. Emphasis is thus placed on form and mood. The applied paint is thick and chalky, leaving a wonderfully dry, textured surface. Muted blues, greys and pinks are closely graded with the occasional accent of colour, and the sense of light and space is achieved through these tonal variations. This careful modulation, the soft colours and broken surface dissolves the figure into her surroundings and strengthens the overall sense of harmony.

The original owner of this painting, Dennis Cohen, was a publisher who first came to truly appreciate John’s work upon viewing an exhibition at Matthiesen, London. He went on to propose publishing a volume on the artist with a biography by Augustus John, but this project never materialised.