198 - William Delamotte,

William Delamotte, British 1775-1863- Near Meiringen, Switzerland; pencil and watercolour on paper, signed, dated and inscribed 'Wm. delamotte. / near Meyringhen[sic.] - Switz - 1842' (lower right), 25.5 x 36.9 cm. Provenance: with Thomas Agnew & Sons, London [no.23535]. with Galerie Christa Cackett, Basel. Private Collection, Switzerland. Exhibited: London, Thomas Agnew & Sons, no.8. Note: Delamotte studied under Benjamin West (1738-1820), and like West, enjoyed the patronage of King George III. He was a prolific draughtsman, producing extensive sketches and watercolours throughout Europe, in addition to the many executed in Oxford where he spent much of his life. A number of Delamotte's drawings were made into woodcuts by Orlando Jewitt (1799-1869). The present work is a charming example of his work, contrasting the diminutive figures below, engaged in everyday pastoral activity, with the sweeping landscape of the Alps which towers above them. It recalls, for example, Delamotte's watercolour of Mont Blanc which sold at Christie's, Paris, on 10 December 2002, lot 70 (€2,585), and his 'View of Berne' which sold at Bonhams, London, on 15 March 1995, lot 50 (£1,100 hammer).