View full screen - View 1 of Lot 8. The Gorge at Suk Wady Barada, Lebanon.
8

Edward Lear

The Gorge at Suk Wady Barada, Lebanon

Property of a Gentleman

7

8

9

Edward Lear

Edward Lear

The Gorge at Suk Wady Barada, Lebanon

The Gorge at Suk Wady Barada, Lebanon

Property of a Gentleman

Edward Lear

London 1812 - 1888 San Remo

The Gorge at Suk Wady Barada, Lebanon


Pen and brown ink and watercolour over pencil, on grey paper;

inscribed, lower right: Suk Wady Barada / 25 May 1858 / (215), and further inscribed with colour notes

365 by 525 mm

The present work has been carefully presented. The pen and brown ink has remained in fresh condition, however some of the watercolour pigments have faded. Within parts of the sky, there has been some restoration and it appears that the colours in the upper right hand corner of the composition have been strengthened. The sheet has been laid down.


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. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color 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. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.

Sir Wyndham Dunstan (1861-1949);
John, Lord D'Ayton (1922-2003);
thence by descent to the present owners
London, Agnew's, 100th Annual Exhibition of Watercolours and Drawings, 1973, no. 155;
London, Sotheby's, Edward Lear, An Exhibition of Works by Edward Lear from the D'Ayton International Collection, assembled by John D'Ayton, 2004, no. 16
On 23rd May 1858, whilst spending time at Baalbek during his tour of the interior of Lebanon, Lear visited the gorge at Suk Wady Barada and made the present drawing. At the end of the month he left Baalbek and travelled to Damascus. The journey took only a day and, in a letter to his friend Lady Waldegrave, he expressed regret at not being able to spend longer over it: 'The day's journey thence half way over Anti Lebanon, and the following journey down hither would be of great interest could more time be spent on the way'.1 He spent only a few days in Damascus, delighting in the 'glittering city',2 before leaving for Corfu.

1. V. Noakes, Edward Lear Selected Letters, Oxford 1988, p. 159
2. V. Noakes, Edward Lear Selected Letters, Oxford 1988, p. 159