John Robert Cozens (British, 1752-1797) The lesser valley of Ober-hasli, upper part from the north Watercolor and penc...

John Robert Cozens (British, 1752-1797) The lesser valley of Ober-hasli, upper part from the north Watercolor and pencil on paper laid on card 9-1/2 x 14-1/8 inches (24.1 x 35.9 cm) (sheet) PROVENANCE: Sale: Walker's Galleries, Ltd., London, 1955, lot unknown; Juliet Ann Rowlatt Balfour, acquired from the above; Private collection, United Kingdom, gift from the above, 1955; Thence by descent to the present owner. Cozens often produced multiple versions of his most popular compositions to meet the demand of his patrons, and his scenes of Lake Nemi and Lake Albano in the Alban Hills near Rome were among those he replicated often. The present sheet recording the artist's depiction of Ober-hasli, Switzerland also qualifies as one of Cozens' more popular subjects, which he painted with slight variations on several occasions. The artist's watercolors are characterized by very delicate monochrome shades of blue and grey washes, and these define his views of Ober-hasli. A very similar treatment of the subject by Cozens is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Walker Galleries was especially well-known in London in the 1920s and 1930s for handling and exhibiting good quality British watercolors, such as the present work. HID12701242017