David Cox, R.W.S.

Bearne's Auctioneers, Torquay, 1984;
Anthony Read, London, 1986;
Lowell Libson, London, January 2006

This watercolour has been well preserved and very carefully presented. Although many of the pigments have remained strong, I feel that a pigment in the water has faded. There is evidence of very faint light-staining around the edges of the sheet. The work has not been laid down. For further information on this lot please contact Mark Griffith-Jones on 0207 293 5083 or mark.griffithjones@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."

This watercolour can be dated to the middle of the 1830s. Cox shows a pair of fishermen on the Thames at Bugsby’s Reach, a stretch of the river located to the east of the city of London and near to Greenwich. In the distance other small boats can be seen, while above, two seagulls circle in the calm blue sky. 

Although Cox was born in Birmingham, he lived intermittently in London between 1804 and 1841. The Thames appears to have particularly captivated him and he exhibited many works depicting life on the river at the Society of Painters in Water-Colour and the Old Water-Colour Society.

When Cox died in 1859, the Illustrated London News referred to him as a ‘great genius of modern British landscape’ (S. Wilcox, Sun, Wind and Rain: The Art of David Cox, Yale, 2008, p. 3). They expanded on this, noting that he was ‘pre-eminent amongst landscapists and the founder of a school of landscape painting purely English, but new to England itself when he created it’ (ibid. p. 3).