Philip John Thornhill

Sotheby's, 2 October 1979, lot 229;  
Maas Gallery, London where bought by the present owner

London, Royal Academy, 1896, no.462

STRUCTURE The canvas has been relined and the surface is slightly dirty. There are some areas of craquelure across the canvas, which appear to be stabilized.These are in the sky upper left; to the figure's neck, chest and thighs and a small area to her left knee. There also appear to be some surface abrasions to the figure's left armpit. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT UV light reveals an opaque varnish. There are areas of retouching in the sky, to her armpit, her chest and her left thigh. There appear to be a few further spots in the rock to her right and also to the left of her right foot and in the lower left corner. FRAME Held in a gilt plaster frame. Please telephone the department on 0207 293 5718 if you have any questions about the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the epic poetry of Greece Andromeda was the fated daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Ethiopia. Doomed to be given in sacrifice to a sea-monster named Cetus after her vain mother offended the gods by claiming to be more beautiful than the Nereids, the princess was bound to rocks on the shore to await the beast. Returning from slaying the gorgon Medusa, Perseus saw the beautiful Andromeda and vowed to save her, to win her hand in marriage. The subject of Andromeda's sacrifice was popular with Victorian artists as a pretext for sexually charged nudity – the eroticism justified by the classical origins of the story. Leighton painted a famous depiction in 1891 (Leeds City Art Gallery) and an entire cycle of paintings was worked upon by Burne-Jones for many years (Southampton City Art Gallery, Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart and elsewhere). Less well-known examples were painted by John William Godward, Herbert Draper and Frank Dicksee. Sir Edward Poynter's famous depiction of Andromeda chained to the rocks was painted in 1869 (sold in these rooms, 17 May 2011, lot 17) and almost certainly influenced the present picture.

A black chalk figure drawing for this painting (with an added signature by Herbert Draper) was exhibited at the Shepherd Gallery in New York in 1989 (English Romantic Art 1850-1920, Pre-Raphaelites, Academics, Symbolists).