Sir John Lavery, R.A., R.S.A., R.H.A.

P & D Colnaghi, London;
Sale, Christie's London, 20th May 1999, lot 59, whence purchased by the present owner

Original canvas. There is a minor spot of paint loss in the upper right sky and some very minor fine lines of surface craquelure around the blue pigment of the sea in the upper right quadrant. The vanish has slightly discoloured otherwise in good overall condition with some excellent passages of impasto throughout. Under ultraviolet light, there are some minor specks of retouching in the centre of the sky, in the upper right sky and two small areas to the white pigment in the bottom right corner. Held in a gilt carved wood frame.
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Having completed his final assignment as a war artist - painting field hospitals and logistics camps behind the lines in the spring of 1919, Lavery and his wife, Hazel, planned an extended North African and European tour taking them to Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh and Tangier, and ending on the French Riviera. They arrived at Tangier in January 1920 for the wedding of Lavery's former model, Mary Auras, (see lot 148 and 150) to an English captain, Nigel d'Albini Black-Hawkins, and remained there for at least a month. During this time two notable events occurred - the first was the seizure of the German Legation by the Moroccan government and the second, the funeral of Kaid MacLean, the Sultan's former envoy, and local hero. Lavery witnessed both.

In the former case he returned to a familiar setting - one which had served him in 1906-8 when he painted studies to be used in The Market Place, Tangier, (fig. 1, unlocated), and a centre-piece of his exhibition at the Goupil Gallery in 1908. ACR Carter's rich description of this work could equally serve for the present example when he noted the crowd which 'lives and breathes', the 'reposeful' buildings of the Kasbah on the hill in the background and 'the belt of cool blue sea' beyond (ACR Carter, The Art Journal, 1908, p. 233). Lavery returned to this location for a further series of studies in 1912 (fig. 2), however none of these shares the sense of occasion that distinguishes the present canvas. In The Moorish Flag, hoisted on German Legation, Tangier the added appeal of the vivid reds of the uniforms, matching that of the flag enables Lavery to seize a moment of patriotic fervour.    

The picture marks the final ceremonial event in a long chapter of diplomatic manoeuvres involving the European powers dating back to the 'scramble for Africa' in the late nineteenth century. During the late Victorian period British Foreign policy was so determined by fear of French expansion that the growth of German economic and military influence went largely unnoticed. Additionally, perceptions were clouded by the fact that German and British royal families were closely linked. Although Lavery's work was favourably received in Germany, his close friend RB Cunninghame Graham, embarking on a steamer from Tangier to Rabat in the late nineties, was one of the few who remarked on the number of German business travellers who shared his quarters.  However with the coronation of the Francophile Edward VII, relations between Whitehall and the Wilhelmstrasse became strained - especially following the entente cordiale of 1904. The secret terms agreed between Britain and France meant that in exchange for control of Egypt, the British would surrender Morocco as a French 'sphere of influence', whilst ensuring the neutrality of Tangier. Spain was bought off with a protectorate in the barren north-east coastal region and no space was given for German interests. Hearing that a French minister was en route to visit the Sultan, the Kaiser took the daring step, while cruising off the coast of Portugal, to land in Tangier and declare himself the protector of the Sultan's neutrality and the commercial interests of all foreign trading communities in the city - including the British. Germany established its Legation in the city, Morocco became more anarchic and French expansion was effectively delayed until General Lyautay's seizure of Fez in 1912. At this point, the German Legation was placed in a weak position - a state which was not improved by the outbreak of war in 1914 and the arrival of German prisoners to help build new roads in Morocco. With the dismemberment of the German Empire at Versailles, a small consequence of the defeat, was the seizure of the Legation building on 15 January 1920 - under Lavery's watchful eye.     

As is obvious from the present canvas, this symbolic act was carried out with considerable dignity, with troops lining the route. Normal trading has ceased and the strong sunlight creates a rich palette to delight the eye. Few Moroccan canvases are so colourful. This was to be Lavery's last visit to the city which had inspired him for nearly thirty years and in the moment when all its richness was on display, there was a final farewell.  

Kenneth McConkey