- 48
Ambrose McEvoy, A.R.A.
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Ambrose McEvoy, A.R.A.
- The Music Room at Sir Edmund Davis' House
- oil on canvas
- 71 by 92cm., 28 by 36in.
Condition
Original canvas. The surface appears dirty and should benefit from being cleaned and varnished.
Ultraviolet light reveals a small spot of retouching above the piano near centre of the canvas.
Held in a gilt plaster 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."
"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
Edmund Davis was born in Australia in 1862 and attended school at the Lycée Chaptal in Paris as a pupil of the flower painter Victor Leclaire. He abandoned his artistic path aged 17 to go to South Africa where he made his fortune trading in ostrich feathers, guano and mining. He married his cousin, Mary Zilla Halford, with whom he shared a passion for painting and the couple settled in London. Their art collection included ancient sculpture and paintings by Rembrandt, Hogarth, Reynolds and Gainsborough. They also collected modern art by Burne-Jones, Rossetti and Rodin and bequeathed a large part of this exceptional collection to a few chosen institutions such as the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris and the National Gallery of South Africa in Cape Town. The bust shown in McEvoy's painting is the one that had been pointed-out by the Davis' friends Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon in the window of a shop on Piccadilly where it was unattributed; it was discovered to be a masterpiece by the French eighteenth century sculptor Houdon and valued at £20,000.