EDMUND GARVEY, R.A. | A VIEW OF LAKE GENEVA WITH THE MONT SALÈVE AND LE MÔLE, MONT BLANC BEYOND

With Sabin Galleries, London;

From whom acquired by a private collector, in 1971;

By descent until sold, London, Christie's South Kensington, 30 April 2015, lot 528.

"It’s unusual to see views of the Alps painted in the 18th Century by artists from the British Isles. Garvey was clearly much taken by the dramatic impact of the Alps, which he saw en route to Rome in the 1760s, and would continue to paint and exhibit Alpine views throughout his career."

Alex Bell

Born in Kilkenny, Ireland, Garvey was a pupil of Robert Carver, one of the foremost Irish landscape artists of the mid-18th century. During the 1760s he travelled to Rome to continue his studies. The journey to Rome took him through the Alps and down to Savoy, during which time he produced a number of works. His watercolour Waterfall in the Alps, displayed in 1769 at the Royal Academy, was one of the first Alpine paintings exhibited in Britain. At this time British artists were just discovering the natural beauty of the Alpine regions as many made the trip to Rome on land rather than by sea. Garvey would continue to exhibit such views throughout his career. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1783.