Frederick Richard Lee, R.A.

William Wells (1767-1847), Redleaf, Kent;
By descent to his great-nephew, William Wells (1818-1889), Holmwood Hall, Huntingdonshire;
His sale ('Catalogue of the celebrated collection of Ancient & Modern Pictures formed many years ago by that distinguished Patron of Art, William Wells, Esq., of Redleaf, Kent'), London, Christie's, second day's sale, 12 May 1890, lots 200 (Chubb, for 8 gns), 202 (Perch for 5 gns) & 231 (Carp, for 3 gns, the four unidentified), to Leggatt;
With Leggatt Brothers, London.

All four pictures are in overall good condition. The picture on canvas appears to be unlined, and the other three are on panels which continue to provide a flat and stable support for the pictures. The picture of the Tench has some minor damage in the upper right, with some related paint loss, as visible in the catalogue illustration, as well as some small losses to the left edge of the picture, and in one place centre left. Examination of the pictures under ultraviolet light reveals that the picture of the Perch appears to be untouched, whilst the other three all have small amounts of scattered minor old retouching to the background areas. The picture of the Carp also has some retouching to a horizontal panel join running through the middle of the picture. All four are in dirty, country house condition, with a layer of discoloured varnish overall. All held in matching gilt wood frames.
"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."

William Wells purchased the Redleaf estate, near Penshurst in Kent, circa 1800. A retired shipbuilder and an enthusiastic art collector, he was a trustee of the National Gallery between 1835 and 1847. Wells was a significant patron of Frederick Richard Lee, as well as of Lee's friend and some-time collaborator Sir Edwin Landseer. Lee painted several views of an around Redleaf between the late 1820s and 1840s, many of which were exhibited at the Society of British Artists and the British Institution. The sale of Wells' collection in 1890 included forty-six pictures by Lee, including a large group of studies of fish, birds and other game (including the present lot), as well as thirty major works by Landseer, including None but the Brave Deserve the Fair (private collection), a further ten watercolours, and three pictures by Landseer and Lee together. He also owned works by Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough, as well as pictures from the seventeenth-century Dutch school, including Hobbema, Ruysdael and Van de Velde.

On Wells' death the estate passed to his great-nephew, also William Wells, a member of the Liberal Party and MP for Peterborough, who also inherited Holmwood Hall in Huntingdonshire from his father. A keen agriculturalist he was High Sheriff for Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire and Deputy Lieutenant for Kent. In 1854 he married Lady Louisa Wemyss-Charteris, daughter of the 9th Earl of Wemyss. The couple had no children and the collection was sold by his executors after his death.