DROUOT
Tuesday 09 Jul at : 10:00 (BST)

Old Master, British & European Pictures

Roseberys - +4402087612522 - Email

70-76 Knights Hill West Norwood SE27 0JD Lambeth, United Kingdom
Information Conditions of sale
Live
Register
529 results

Lot 113 - Attributed to Willem van de Velde the Younger, Dutch 1633-1707- A Galleon at sea; black chalk on paper, bears initials 'WVVJ' (lower left), and indistinct collector's monogram (lower right), 67.4 x 50.4 cm. (unframed). Note: Willem van de Velde the Younger was one of the preeminent maritime artists of the 17th century, along with his father, Willem van de Velde the Elder (1610/11-1693). After his training with Simon de Vlieger (1601-1653) in Weesp, Van de Velde the Younger spent much of his early career in Amsterdam, before leaving his homeland to move to Britain with his father in 1672/73, where he enjoyed the patronage of King Charles II. The striking, dramatic shipping and battle scenes for which Van de Velde became known feature carefully and accurately rendered vessels, undoubtedly informed by his many detailed sketches and studies of ships like the example presented here. The ship depicted in the present drawing is a Dutch vessel, and resembles Van de Velde's studies of the 'Vrede' and of a Dutch frigate, both in the collection of the Royal Museums in Greenwich [PAG6171 and PAH1718]. While the origin of the vessel indicates that the sketch was executed while Van de Velde still lived in the Dutch Republic, the monogram in the lower left corner of the present drawing is executed in the style the artist used after moving to Britain in 1672, and could have been added later, possibly by the artist himself. The Van de Veldes are thought to have occasionally added their signatures and monograms to earlier sketches, perhaps signing and selling earlier drawings to earn ready cash. Although the present work is unusually large for a work on paper by Van de Velde, it is not without precedent, with the British Museum holding a large drawing of the Royal Yacht Mary, measuring 48 x 86.5 cm., in their collection [1874,0808.97]. We are grateful to Dr Remmelt Daalder for his advice on this item.

Estim. 1 000 - 1 500 GBP

Lot 172 - Charles Willson Peale, American 1741-1827- Portrait of George Washington, bust-length, wearing a dark blue coat with gold epaulettes and cream facings, a cream waistcoat, white stock and blue sash; watercolour on ivory, oval, 4.1 x 3.4 cm., held in a silver and metal mounted medallion. Ivory submission reference: 8CAVGCKL. Note: This rare and important portrait miniature depicts George Washington (1732-1799) as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Gazing calmly and confidently out at the viewer, and wearing the bold blue sash which signified his Commander in Chief status, Washington is portrayed as an officer at the height of his military career, a decade before he would become the first President of the United States. Renowned American portraitist Charles Willson Peale painted Washington several times throughout the latter's illustrious military and political life, and the present miniature appears to be derived from an initial sitting in 1779, when the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania commissioned Peale to paint a portrait of Washington commemorating the General's recent victories at the Battles of Trenton (1776) and Princeton (1777). The initial, full-length portrait that resulted from this sitting is now in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts [1943.16.2]. Peale went on to paint several more versions of his popular portrait, both in oil and in miniature, most of which are now held in museum collections. These include the full-length portraits in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Collis P. Huntington, 1897 [acc. no. 97.33.], the White House Collection, Washington D.C., and the Palace of Versailles [MV 4560]. A portrait miniature of Washington now in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts [1996.256] shows particularly strong similarities to the example presented here. Maryland-born artist Charles Willson Peale briefly apprenticed as a saddler before establishing himself as a portrait painter, becoming acquainted with fellow American painters John Hesselius (1728-1778) and John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). Peale also spent several years in London, studying with American-born artist Benjamin West, PRA (1738-1820). It was in Britain that Peale became trained in the art of painting portrait miniatures, and he continued to import his supplies from Britain even after his return to the United States. During the Revolutionary War, Charles Willson Peale enlisted in the army, and fought alongside many of his sitters as a soldier, rising to the rank of Captain. He carried a case of miniature painting supplies with him during military campaigns, which allowed him to paint his fellow officers between battles. Writing to Benjamin West in 1783, Peale reflects: “I have done more in miniature than in any other manner, because these are more portable and therefore could be kept out of the way of a plundering enemy.” Peale is thought to have painted over 130 miniatures during the Revolutionary War, including portraits of other important figures such as Henry Knox (1750-1806) and Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), but it is for his iconic portraits of George Washington that he is best remembered. We are grateful to Emma Rutherford for confirming the attribution to Charles Willson Peale on the basis of in-person inspection.

Estim. 15 000 - 25 000 GBP