Sir Stanley Spencer R.A.

Acquired from the artist by Robert Gathorne-Hardy and thence by descent to the present owner

The following condition report has been compiled by the paper conservator and restorer, Jane McAusland Support Spencer has used a sheet of thick, wove paper to support this drawing. He has applied two pieces of collage in the lower left quarter where he has changed the position of the figure of John Donne. There is slight scattered foxing, and the lower left corner has been replaced. There is another small paper repair at the foot to the left. Medium The medium is in a good condition. Note: This work was viewed outside studio conditions. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Executed in 1911, the present work is a study for the small oil John Donne Arriving in Heaven (Private Collection).  That painting marked a distinct simplification in Spencer's manner and was in fact exhibited in Fry's Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition in 1912. Spencer did not actually have any direct affinity with the modernism espoused by Fry but it does demonstrate the broadness of the net cast by Fry and his circle.

The inspiration for the subject came from a copy of Donne's Sermons given to Spencer by his friends Jacques and Gwen Raverat, and shows Spencer's interpretation of the poet's image of his own arrival in Heaven, '...going to Heaven by Heaven...', which Spencer presents as Donne crossing Widbrook Common, near Cookham, and passing four figures, each praying in different directions, to express the all-encompassing nature of Heaven.

The drawing includes considerably more detail in the figures and landscape than the final painting, and shows a number of alterations to the composition. Most noticeable are the removal of a plough team in the background and the redrawing of the John Donne figure on a new piece of paper which has been pasted onto the sheet.