Lot 185
  • 185

George Romney

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description

  • George Romney
  • Erminia and Vafrino ministering to the wounded Tancred
  • Pen and brown ink and wash (recto and verso), with black chalk (verso only)

Condition

Hinge mounted in a double sided mount. Recto: The sheet has very slightly discolored and there is some very minor surface dirt and localized stains. There is some show through from the verso in places. The medium remains strong and vibrant. Verso: There are some losses of paper to the four edges of the verso where in all likelihood the sheet has previously been adhered. There are some small stains but the medium remains strong. Sold in a double sided modern metal 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Until recently this drawing was identified as a depiction of Atossa’s Dream, from Aeschylus’s tragedy The Persians (472 BCE), a subject which Romney had explored in a drawing now in the collection of the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.  A more convincing source of inspiration has, however, been identified in Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered (1581), in which the wounded young Tancred is tended back to life by the Princess Erminia and Vafrino.  This identification is further supported by the presence of a small sword held by Erminia, with which she is said to have cut off her own hair to bind his wounds.

The survival of several related drawings attest to Romney’s interest in the subject, which was most likely produced only shortly after his return from Italy in 1775.  The long outstretched arm of Tancred recalls Poussin’s treatment of the subject, now preserved in the Barber Institute, Birmingham, but in a London collection during Romney’s lifetime.

A composition showing an almost identical arrangement of the figures is in the Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan.  Several works also previously believed to depict Atossa’s Dream are in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge,1 and two more similar drawings were exhibited alongside a large selection of Romney's graphic works in 1980.2  Finally, a group of five sheets with studies for the same subject were sold Christie’s, London, 10 July 1990, lot 11 (not reproduced).

1. P. Jaffé, Drawings by George Romney, Cambridge 1977, no. 16

2. Morton Morris & Company, Drawings by George Romney: an exhibition organised in conjunction with Christopher Powney, London 1980, nos. 18, 19 (illustrated).