Lot 365
  • 365

John Frederick Lewis, R.A.

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 GBP
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Description

  • John Frederick Lewis, R.A.
  • A Camel with her Young at West Thebes, Egypt
  • Watercolour over pencil, heightened with bodycolour;
    signed and inscribed lower left: West Thebes. / Gournou J.F. Lewis 1850.
  • 537 by 373 mm

Provenance

By descent within the artist's family until Major-General J.M.H. Lewis, C.B.E.;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 13 March 1986, lot 171;
from where acquired by the present owners

Literature

Major-General J.M.H. Lewis C.B.E., John Frederick Lewis, R.A., 1805-1876, London 1978, p. 91, no. 547 

Condition

This work is in overall good condition. Lewis' colours remain intact and the sheet has not darkened significantly. There are one or two small water-stains in the sheet (particularly towards the bottom left of the competition) and there is some scattered surface dirt. The sheet is not laid down. In general the work is well preserved.
"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

This characterful drawing was made in 1850 at Gournou (Qurnah), which lies on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the town of Luxor. Lewis was on his only recorded voyage up the great river and he looks east, from the Tombs of the Nobles at Shaykh Abd al-Qurnah, to the Ramesseum and across the water to the hills beyond. Lewis executed a second watercolour sketch from this location which is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. That work is landscape in format and shows the camel kneeling and a man resting in the shade to the right. We are grateful to Briony Llewellyn and Charles Newton for their help in cataloguing this work.