Lot 36
  • 36

William Lionel Wyllie, R.A.

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description

  • William Lionel Wyllie, R.A.
  • Landing Fish, Ambleteuse
  • signed and dated l.r.: W L Wyllie/ 1873
  • oil on canvas
  • 127 by 180cm., 50 by 71in.

Exhibited

Royal Academy, 1873, no.6

Condition

Original canvas. There is a faint horizontal stretcher bar mark along upper edge and a very faint craquelure pattern in the sky - only visible upon close inspection and not visually distracting. The work appears in good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals some flecked retouchings around the length of the mast, also some further isolated spots of retouching through the sky and cosmetic flecks of retouching in the foreground, not excessive. Held in original gilt moulded 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."

Catalogue Note

When this picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy it had the following quotation from Walter Scott; 'She does no work by halves, yon raving ocean! Engulfing those she strangles.' It was painted on the estuary of the Slack river on the northern French coast in the year that Wyllie purchased a fishing-boat called Ladybird. For the next twenty years Wyllie spent the summer months in France living onboard Ladybird and travelling along the coast to paint the lives of the fishermen, seascapes and incidents at sea. In the present picture he depicted a typical morning scene as the catch is being unloaded from the boats onto a horse-drawn cart and into the baskets of the fish-wives who will transport it along the long sands to the market. The strenuous labour of the women and the fishermen is contrasted with the care-free activities of children who have stripped off to bathe and by the two dogs who are playing in the shallows.