Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson, A.R.A.

Drypoint printed with tone, 1916, a richly inked impression with burr of this rare and important subject, signed in pencil within the platemark beneath the image, on F.J. Head & Co. laid paper, with full margins, in good condition

Private Collection, from whom acquired by the present owners in the 1990s

London, Leicester Galleries, Catalogue of an Exhibition of Paintings of War by C.R.W.Nevinson (late Private RAMC), September – October 1916, cat.no 29 or 38
New York, Frederick Keppel & Co., Etchings and Lithographs by C.R.W.Nevinson, 1919
New York, Bourgeois Gallery, The Old World and the New: An Exhibition of Paintings, Etching, Lithographs and Woodcuts by C.R.W.Nevinson of London, 1920
London, The Leicester Galleries at the Alpine Club Gallery, Nash and Nevinson in War and Peace, October – November 1977, Nevinson section cat.no.6
London, The Maclean Gallery, C.R.W.Nevinson: The Great War and After, February – March 1980, cat.no.11
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, The Print in England 1790-1930, March – May 1985, cat.no.242
London, Imperial War Museum, C.R.W.Nevinson: The Twentieth Century, October 1999 – January 2000, cat.no.36 (as Troops Resting)

A fine impression with burr. In good overall condition apart from slight mount-staining, occasional minor fox marks to margins, a small stain at extreme lower edge of sheet, two old paper tabs attached to extreme upper edge of sheet recto.
"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."

This superb composition, like Returning to the Trenches, is a wonderful example of Nevinson's ability to bring together the disparate elements of warfare. Whilst Returning to the Trenches was all about movement, here, by a roadside, a group of soldiers have gathered. The prevailing sense is one of fatigue, presumably as a result of the march from which they are taking a brief respite. In this moment given to them they catch a swift doze, repack a knapsack or simply sit and wait for their next order. The artist's depiction of this key fact of military life, the times of inactivity between bursts of demanding actions, was very much recognised by contemporary observers and seems to have been a major factor in the public appreciation of Nevinson's work.

In the painting of this subject (Imperial War Museum Collection), the grass by the roadside is still green, which in conjunction with the sense of nervous quiet and full neat kit the men are carrying suggests very strongly that this is just a temporary hiatus on their path to the front, something that by 1916, when this image was first exhibited, would carry an immediate question to the viewers of just how many of these men might return?