A Fine Line: Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries
A Fine Line: Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries
Property from the Collection of the late Cyril and Shirley Fry
John Hamilton Mortimer, A.R.A.
Two ladies sitting in the corner of a studio
Auction Closed
July 7, 10:53 AM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Collection of the late Cyril and Shirley Fry
John Hamilton Mortimer, A.R.A.
Eastbourne 1740 - 1779 London
Two ladies sitting in the corner of a studio
Pen and black ink and grey wash on laid paper;
inscribed lower left: To Mrs. Ireland / Maiden Lane, further inscribed verso in Esdaile's hand: Mortimer / [Ire?] lands Sale, 1810, W.E / P / 68 N 50
195 by 187 mm
John Ireland (d. 1808);
his executor's sale, King and Locheé, 5-6 March 1810, lot 174 (a composite lot), or lot 214,
where acquired by William Esdaile (1758-1837), via 'Parker';
sale, London, Hodgson & Co., 21 October 1960, part of lot 561;
with Colnaghi's, London;
Leonard Gordon Duke (1890-1973);
by whom given to Cyril and Shirley Fry
G. Benthall, John Hamilton Mortimer ARA, Drawings and Engraved Works, with a Revised Account of his Life, typescript MS, completed 1950s, deposited in the Victoria and Albert Museum, p. 132A;
J. Sunderland, 'John Hamilton Mortimer. His life and works', Walpole Society, vol. LII, London 1986, p. 168, no. 104, fig. 17
This striking image dates to circa 1775 and may show the interior of Mortimer's studio which, at this period, is recorded as being close to Maiden Lane in Covent Garden.
Having belonged to both William Esdaile and Leonard Duke, this work has a distinguished provenance. Furthermore, Mortimer's inscription - To Mrs Ireland - reveals for whom it was originally drawn. Mrs Ireland lived near Maiden Lane with her husband John, a watchmaker and writer. The Irelands were close friends of Mortimer's: she was one of the signatories to the artist's will, while Mortimer painted him in oils in circa 1778/9.1
1. J. Sunderland, 1986, op. cit., p. 191, no. 142, fig. 263