JOHN ATKINSON GRIMSHAW | My Wee White Rose

Christie's, London, 31 May 1995, lot 161;
Private collection

Leeds City Art Gallery, Southampton City Art Gallery and Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Atkinson Grimshaw, 1979-80, no.29;
Harrogate, Mercer Art Gallery and London, Guildhall Art Gallery, Atkinson Grimshaw, Painter of Moonlight, 2011, not numbered

K. Payne, Knight's Errand, 1987, illustrated opposite p.16;
Alexander Robertson, Atkinson Grimshaw, 1988, p.39, illustrated plate 39;
Jane Sellars (ed.), Atkinson Grimshaw, Painter of Moonlight, 2011, p.60, illustrated fig.67

This picture has been lined which is providing a stable support. The paint surface is clean and there are no significant signs of craquelure. There are a few minor paint losses close to the lower edge of the canvas. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT The varnish appears opaque under UV light which makes the picture difficult to read but there do not appear to be any major retouchings (there may be a few scattered minor retouchings to the girl's face and to localised areas in the foliage). FRAME The picture is contained in its original ornately moulded plaster and gilt 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 My Wee White Rose was Miss Agnes Leefe, a former actress from the Leeds Grand Theatre who joined the Grimshaw household around 1878. Among Leefe’s earliest appearances in Grimshaw’s art was in The Cradle Song (sold in these rooms, 10 December 2012, lot 41) where she is depicted in her role as governess to the Grimshaw children. Guy Ragland Phillips insisted that the relationship between Leefe and his grandfather; ‘was only professional’ but the artist’s daughter Elaine recalled that, ‘Poor Mama... was deeply hurt... Agnes Leefe remained, living in the studio, but having her dinner with us – between 4 o’clock and 5 – and sleeping upstairs in a front attic bedroom.’ Leefe is also thought to have posed for the various versions of Iris, the nudity of which may account for Mrs Grimshaw’s concern. There is a photograph of Agnes Leefe at Knostrop, dressed in the same white dress and bonnet worn in My Wee White Rose. Whatever her exact position in the Grimshaw household, her life was short and she died in 1890 at Knostrop Hall, nursed by Mrs Theodosia Grimshaw.