Lot 4
  • 4

Albert Joseph Moore, A.R.W.S.

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Albert Joseph Moore, A.R.W.S.
  • Portrait of a Girl, Probably Milly Jones
  • charcoal on brown paper
  • 34.5 by 37cm., 13½ by 14½in.

Provenance

Sir Aston Webb and thence by family descent;
Tennant’s, North Yorkshire, 17 July 2009, where purchased by the present owner

Condition

This drawing is in good overall condition. The paper is of a coarse type and has imperfections consistent with its texture. There is faint staining to the extreme right of the sheet and the paper is cockled slightly. FRAME The drawing is contained in an attractive gilt-moulded Pre-Raphaelite style frame with egg-and-dart decoration and a gilt wooden mount (under glass).
"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

Portrait studies by Moore are rare and the present drawing is a remarkably intimate depiction similar to the studies of voluptuous women made by Rossetti in the 1860s. The model was probably 'Milly' Emelie Eyre Jones (born 1850) who posed for Moore in the mid-1860s and was certainly the model for the nude study for Azaleas of 1867 (Victoria & Albert Museum). It has been suggested that the present drawing was made as a study for the head of one of the girls in A Musician of 1865-6 (Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven).

Milly was one of a group of sisters from Hull who modelled for Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Solomon, Leighton, Whistler and Poynter following their move to London in 1862. She appears in Whistler's famous Symphony in White of 1865-7 (Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham) and Fred Sandys' Gentle Spring of 1863-5, (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford); May Margaret of 1865-6 (Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington); Berenice, Queen of Egypt of 1867 (Leighton House Museum); and Valkyrie of 1868 (Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Birkenhead). There is a similar study of her head by Poynter (Bonham's, 2 March 2016, lot 69). Rossetti introduced Milly to his muse Ruth Herbert who was a successful actress and she arranged for Milly to audition for stage roles (she was known on the stage as 'Miss Jones'). She married the actor Frederick Henry Robson in 1870 and probably ceased to model at that time.

This drawing belonged to the famous architect Sir Aston Webb (1849-1930) who worked on many significant buildings including Buckingham Palace and the V&A Museum.