Edward Lear

The Rev. Percy Mordaunt Barnard (1868-1941) and his wife Alice, née Barnand,

Thence by descent to their daughter, Nea Morin (1905-1986),

Thence by descent to the present owners

Villefranche is a fortified port in the Alpes Maritimes, around three miles east of Nice. Lear took lodgings in Nice during the winter of 1864-5 and made many sketches at Villefranche during this time. Other on-the-spot drawings, showing the scene from this viewpoint, include one executed on the 30 November 1864 (see London, Christie's, 5 June 2006, lot 63 - £33,600) and another which was drawn on the morning of 5 February 1865 (see London, Christie's, 27 July 2020, lot 104 - £25,000).

For another drawing made by Lear on the Côte d'Azur during the winter of 1864-5, see lot 281.