436 - Captain Francis Grose,

Captain Francis Grose, British 1731-1791- Two studies: Study of a cavalry officer on a rearing charger; and Study for a comic scene; pencil, pen and ink on paper, the first inscribed '195' (upper centre), the second inscribed '191' (upper centre), each 26 x 20.3 cm., two (2). Provenance: Dudley Snelgrove (1906-1992). his sale, Sotheby's, London, 19 November 1992. with Martyn Gregory, London [VF 284c and VF284b]. Note: Captain Grose pursued a wide range of occupations during his lifetime. Although he initially served as a captain in the Surrey Militia, he is best known as an antiquary, but also worked as an artist, draughtsman and lexicographer. He was a close friend of Robert Burns (1759-1796), and it is to Grose that Burns sent an early version of his poem 'Tam o' Shanter'. He exhibited at the Society of Artists and the Royal Academy before publishing 'The Antiquities of England and Wales' (1772-76), an illustrated survey of medieval monuments. Intended for readers who lacked the time or means to visit such sites themselves, the volume combined panoramic views of medieval ruins with descriptive text. A similarly lively and amusing sketch of a priest on a rearing horse, comparable to the study of a cavalry officer on a rearing charge, was sold at Sotheby's, London, on 11 July 1996.