John Atkinson Grimshaw

Purchased by Lieutenant Colonel R Harding M.B.E. of Baverstock, Wiltshire and thence by descent to the present owners

The picture is unlined and there are two small wax repairs to the reverse (u.l. of the composition). There are a couple of minor surface scratches in the sky - visible upon close inspection. There are areas of fine texture to the road. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are two small areas of retouching in the upper left of the sky. The picture would benefit from having the retouchings reapplied. There is another small area of flecked retouching in the road. The varnish is uneven and opaque. FRAME The picture is contained in a 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."

The present picture is very similar in composition and mood and identical in size to Glasgow Lights (sold in these rooms from the collection of Mary Soames, daughter of Sir Winston Churchill, 17 December 2014, lot 225). The docks of Glasgow were a favourite subject for Grimshaw and one that was popular with his patrons, many of whom were from the industrial cities of northern England and Scotland.

Towards the end of the 1870s Grimshaw was hit by financial hardship when he was called upon to honour a loan he had guaranteed for an untrustworthy friend. 'Castle by the Sea', Grimshaw's house in Scarborough, was sold and the servants dismissed. The Grimshaw family returned to Knostrop Hall near Leeds and for some time he hired a studio in London which he used until 1887. This sudden downturn in his finances led to a dramatic increase in the artist's production and coincides with the first moonlit urban and dockside scenes. Men made wealthy by trade were keen to own his lively scenes of city life depicting the ports that were the lifelines of an empire in its heyday.

By the end of the nineteenth century Glasgow had become known as the "Second City of the Empire", its shipping industry supporting and linking Britain's vast areas of jurisdiction throughout the globe. This time of growth and prosperity led to the building of Loch Katrine, opened by Queen Victoria in 1859 to supply the city with water, and later the subway, opened in 1896. An ambitious rejuvenation plan was also underway including the building of an impressive City Chambers by William Young and Glasgow University's main buildings by the great Sir George Gilbert Scott.

The present view depicts Custom House Quay in Glasgow lit by the moonlight that is so characteristic of Grimshaw's work. The street shines in the light from the gas-lamps and reflects the warm golden glow from a fishmonger and grocery shop. A young woman has stopped to look at the fish arrayed around a block of ice that reflects the lights in the window of the shop where poultry is also hung to tempt customers inside. An illuminated clock shows that it is ten-minutes-past-eight in the evening and the pedestrians are making their way home along the wet pavements or hurrying to catch the horse-drawn cabs. A mother and her child prepare to cross the busy street beside a scaffold holding a hoarding pasted with advertisements for various recognisable products, including Pears Soap, Singer Sewing Machines and Dr Worsden's Pills.

Grimshaw deliberately avoids making obvious social commentaries in his work. They are a truthful snapshot of contemporary life, albeit with a few architectural liberties for picturesque effect. Using moonlight and the warmth of the gas lamps to illuminate this scene of everyday life Grimshaw transforms the familiar; the half light giving the working dockside and its figures a fascinating mystery and ambiguity that is delightfully intriguing.