Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson, A.R.A.

Leicester Galleries, London, where acquired by H. Brodie, March 1918 and thence by descent to the present owner

London, Leicester Galleries, Catalogue of an Exhibition of Pictures of War by C.R.W. Nevinson (Official Artist on the Western Front), March 1918, cat. no.41.

The sheet is sound and has been laid down on card. There are some minor spots of staining, notably in the sky, and the paper has discoloured slightly. Otherwise, the surface is in good overall condition. Held under glass in a gilt plaster frame with a cream mount. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

The small town of Peronne stands south of Bapaume, in the midst of one of the most fought-over areas of France during WWI. Taken by the Germans in September 1914, it was retaken by British troops on 18^th March 1917 but again changed hands on 23^rd March and was to remain in German hands until finally liberated by Australian troops on 1^st September 1918. Period photographs of the damaged town suggest that the taller building whose charred roof timbers are visible above its neighbours could depict the ruined Town Hall.

Nevinson was in the area in July and August 1917, although in his role as an Official War Artist, he felt that his access to front line areas was being limited and he seems to have made every effort to try and slip away from the officers detailed to oversee his trip. Nevinson later recalled a number of occasions on which he ventured up to the front lines, including some where he and his companions came under considerable fire, and this does suggest the intriguing possibility that the present drawing, somewhat smaller and more immediate in execution than the majority of Nevinson's exhibited works which were mostly produced in London after his return, could well be a work produced in situ, and that the troops marching along the road between the devastated buildings could in fact be German.