Sir Edward John Poynter, Bt., P.R.A., R.W.S. 1836-1919

Sir William Petersen, K.B.E., of 80 Portland Place, London, his sale Christie's, 17 April 1925, lot 189, bought 'Sampson';
London, W. W. Sampson & Son;
Maharajah Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar;
Sotheby's, 5 June 1996, lot 127;
Private collection 

London, Royal Academy, 1907, no. 129;
Argentina, Buenos Aires, International Exhibition, 1910

Royal Academy Pictures, 1907, no. 129;
Art Journal, 1907, p. 194

STRUCTURE This canvas is in good original condition CATALOGUE COMPARISON The illustration is broadly representative, the colours are richer in tone throughout in reality. PAINT SURFACE The surface is sound throughout and stable. There is a small area of very fine craquelure in front of the girl's face and areas where the paint surface is a little thin. However the paint surface is generally in good clean condition and appears to be stable. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are minor flecked retouchings to the figure and face of the girl and her draperies, to the water and to the rocks. These retouchings have been sensitively made and are not excessive. There is also a vertical line of retouching close to the right edge of the canvas and other retouchings at the edges of the canvas. FRAME This picture is contained in a Classical-style 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."

Beside a babbling brook a young girl has disrobed for bathing in the clear pools but is now seated on a large boulder overhanging the waters where she is attempting to catch fish with a bamboo rod. Around her is an idyllic landscape of clear waters falling into swirling pools, majestic boulders carpeted with spring flowers and with knarled trees reaching out over the stream.

When the present picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition of 1907 it had minor differences to the picture as it now appears. It would appear that the picture either remained in Poynter's studio and was reworked in 1914 or was returned by a patron for alterations to be made. The most apparent difference is the inclusion of a cow-parsley plant behind the nude's back, additional torrents in the far distance and more foliage on the over-hanging tree. It would seem that Poynter felt that the changes warranted the picture being redated which perhaps supports the suggestion that the alterations were made to attract a new client and suggest that it was a new work rather than alterations made to an earlier picture. The title The Nymph of the Stream may also be a later invention, as there is little to suggest that she is a water-nymph, one of the immortal spirits of nature. Her bound hair, woven basket and robes are the trappings of mortal women rather than the nymphs who have no need for such items. Poynter had made the nymphs' rejection of worldly goods clear in his famous Cave of the Storm Nymphs of 1903 in which nereids casually toy with treasure cast up in their sea-cave. In 1904 Poynter painted The Nymph's Bathing Place (FIG. 2 unlocated) in which a similar nude girl tests the frigid waters of a pool. The picture had acquired the title The Nymph of the Stream by 1925 when it was sold at Christie's from the collection of the shipping magnate Sir William Petersen (1856-1925), with other important works by the artist including Horae Serenae, Chloe, Orpheus and The Bath of Venus (the paintings by Poynter were the most significant pictures in Petersen's collection).    

A figure drawing for Fishing is known (Christie's, New York, 25 October 1995, lot 235). Poynter was one of the finest painters of the nude of his generation and here he displays an elegant and beautifully studied figure amid a landscape which is equally closely studied. The background of Fishing was painted on the river Carron in Ross-shire and depicts the picturesque falls at Glen-Calvie. Studies of the background and other studies made on the same sketching holiday were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1908.