L13034

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Lot 172
  • 172

Arthur Devis

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Arthur Devis
  • Portrait of a gentleman, full length, seated under a tree
  • signed, lower left: A. Devis
  • oil on canvas

Provenance

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby’s, 27 July 1932, lot 270, to Tritton;
Mr and Mrs Robert Tritton, Godmersham Park, Kent;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 15 July 1983, lot 60;
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's, 15 July 1987, lot 51, for £52,800, where acquired by Dr. Rau;
Bequeathed by Dr. Rau to the Foundation of the German Committee for UNICEF.

Exhibited

Lausanne,La Fondation pour l’Ecrit, Salon International du Livre et de la Presse, Le livre et le journal chez les peintres, 27 April – 5 May 1996;
Remagen, Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Das Auge des Sammlers. Kunstkammer Rau, 5 February – 29 August 2010, no. 33.

Literature

C. Hussey, 'Godmersham Park, Kent, III', in Country Life, vol. 89, 21 June 1945, reproduced p. 378;
S. H. Paviere, The Devis Family of Painters, Leight-on-Sea 1950, no. 53, p. 44;
E. G. D'Oench, Arthur Devis (1712-1787): Master of the Georgian Conversation Piece, unpublished PhD Thesis, Yale University 1979, pp. 468-9, no. 221;
E. G. D'Oench, The Conversation Piece, Arthur Devis and his Contemporaries, New Haven 1980, p. 91, no. 221;
V. Anker et al., Le livre et le journal chez les peintres, exhibition catalogue, Lausanne 1996, p. 75, reproduced;
O. Kornhoff, Das Auge des Sammlers. Kunstkammer Rau, Cologne 2010, p. 116, no. 133, reproduced p. 117.

Condition

The picture appears to be in very good condition, with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint. The catalogue illustration is representative. The canvas has been lined but the surface of the paint is not abraded. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals retouching to a small old damage in the sky, upper left, and minor infilling to craquelure in throughout the sky and in both the whites and the flesh tones. There is a small amount of retouching to frame abrasion in the lower left and to one small area in the grass, lower right. The picture is held in a carved and gilded British Baroque frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482.
"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."