JULIUS CAESAR IBBETSON | Landscape with washerwomen in the foreground, an arched bridge beyond

oil on canvas

With Frost & Reed, London;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 16 June 2005, lot 283.

The canvas is tightly relined, as is a little flat in certain areas. A decorative image reads well, with the paint surface well kept. There is minor, but stable, craquelure throughout. Frame abrasions along the bottom edge. Inspection under UV reveals a thick varnish. There is a possible repair of about 2in. on the bridge at bottom right quadrant. Scattered spots of retouching through out the sky. Possible further retouching could be on the leaves, but hard to read because of the varnish. Offered in giltwood frame with minor nicks.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

The date of this painting has been read in the past as "1816?" (see 2005 sale under Provenance), though it is now mostly illegible.  Stylistically, the painting appears to be from earlier in Ibbetson’s career, and more like his landscapes of Wales or the Lake District from the 1790s.  The dwelling at right, in fact, resembles Ibbetson’s own home at Ambleside in the Lake District where he lived in the late 1790s, while the motif of the washerwomen on the river bank frequently appears in his work of that period.¹ We are grateful to James Mitchell for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.

1.  The traditional title/location has been identified as Rosewell Castle, North Wales, but this appears to be fanciful.