George Price Boyce

Catherine Hueffer (née Madox Brown), The Lodge, Campden Hill Road, London and thence by descent;
The Maas Gallery, London, October 1998

Christopher Newall and Judy Egerton, George Price Boyce, exhibition catalogue for The Tate Gallery, 1987, p.56

Sheet appears to be sound, slight discolouring. Pin holes in each corner, otherwise appears in good overall condition. Held under glass in a gilt plaster frame with a cream mount; unexamined out of frame.
"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."

It has been suggested that Boyce was accompanied by Albert Goodwin on his visit to Newcastle in the autumn of 1864 - Goodwin is recorded as visiting William Bell Scott in Newcastle in September that year and the subjects of several watercolours testify to his presence in the city. It is also believed that it was upon the suggestion of Ford Madox Brown that his pupil Goodwin went to Newcastle and the fact that this watercolour was owned by Brown suggests that he had encouraged both artists to make the trip. Of Tyneside Brown wrote: 'North and South Shields... the wonderful places... and the Tyne all the way up to Newcastle... one of the wonderful sights in Europe, though most people don't seem to know it. The most wonderful pictures might be made of it' (William Michael Rossetti, Rossetti Papers - 1862 to 1870, 1903, pp.28-9). From the same tour Boyce produced Near the Ouse Burn, Newcastle (private collection) and Windmill Hills, Gateshead (Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne). The atmospheric foggy townscape of Newcastle from the Rabbit Banks bears strong similarities with the work of Goodwin.

Newcastle from the Rabbit Banks, Gateshead-on-Tyne is a study for another picture of the same title (sold in these rooms, 7 June 1995, lot 40) in which Boyce added a sleeping male figure in the foreground and made it a diurnal scene. When the larger picture was exhibited at the Old Water-Colour Society in 1865, the Athenaeum commented '... a distant view of a manufacturing town interests us in its million lives and fortunes, its subtle colouring seems pathetic, and a glowing sky looks full of prophesy.'