Evelyn de Morgan

Sotheby's, Belgravia, 18 April 1978, lot 53 as The Angel of Death;
Sotheby's Parke-Bernet, New York, 28 October 1982, lot 75;
Christie's, London, 25 October 1991, lot 55;
Mr Carl Laszlo, Basel;
Private collection

Catherine Gordon (ed.), Evelyn de Morgan - Oil Paintings, 1996, p.15, cat.1, illustrated plate 1

STRUCTURE The picture has been relined and is in good overall condition. There is a fine craquelure pattern across the surface but this is only visible upon close inspection. The picture may benefit from a light clean. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are areas of fine retouching in the sky and to the rocks and water, to the figure's face, legs and arms which appear to be infillings to craquelure and have been well-executed. There are also minor retouchings eleswere. FRAME The picture is contained in an impressive carved and gilt frame in good condition (probably the original frame).
"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."

The model for The Angel with the Serpent was Evelyn de Morgan’s brother Percival Spencer Umfreville Pickering (born 6 March 1858 - died 1920). He was a student at Balliol in Oxford where he graduated with a 1^st class Honours degree in Science in 1880 and lectured in chemistry at Bedford College from 1881 to 1888. In 1890 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society and worked as a director of the Woburn Experimental Fruit Farm. His interest in horticulture and science may account for the subject of an angel tenderly caressing an emerald-green snake surrounded by roses. The serpent here is not intended to symbolise maleficence or threat – it is a metaphor for the wild natural world tamed by man. Spencer Pickering had also modelled for a similar picture by his sister entitled Mercury (de Morgan Foundation) in which the story of the creation of the Caduceus, a wand comprising of two snakes entwined around a staff, was depicted. The painting is early in de Morgan’s oeuvre and probably dates to the early 1870s. In 1877 she painted Cadmus and Harmonia (de Morgan Foundation) depicting the nude Harmonia embracing a snake, illustrating the words ‘With lambent tongue he kissed her patient face, Crept in her bosom as his dwelling lace, Entwined her neck, and shared the loved embrace’ from Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’. It is possible that the present picture (the title of which is probably a later invention) may also depict an episode from the story of Cadmus.