John Craxton, R.A.

Blond Fine Art Ltd, London

The work is executed on wove paper. There are spots of staining within the upper left and right quadrants. The sheet undulates very slightly in the upper left corner where the work has been attached to the board. There are handling marks to the left and right edges. Under glass and held in a gilt wood and plaster frame with a hessian boarder. Unexamined out of its 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."

Thanks to a chance meeting with John Wells, then a doctor on St. Mary's in the Scilly Isles, and a friendship with Julian Trevelyan who already knew the islands, Craxton made his first visit in 1945 with Lucian Freud. They stayed on Tresco. Bryher was easily reached by rowing boat. The artist recalls: 'Its marvellously spare and succinct landscape, with a few cottages, had a poetic intensity and was a fertile source of ideas to feed the imagination.'

We are grateful to Ian Collins, currently working on a John Craxton monograph, for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of these lots.