Edward Dayes

with the Fine Art Society, London by 1946;
J. Leslie Wright, by 1949;
with Agnew's, London by 1981;
Mrs Cecil Keith until sold Sotheby's London, 12 March 1987, lot 84

London, Royal Academy, Exhibition of the J. Leslie Wright Collection of Masters of British Water-Colour (17th-18th Centuries), 1949;
Worthing, City Art Gallery, English Watercolour Drawings from the Collection of Mrs. Cecil Keith, 1963, no. 32;
London, Agnew's, The Watercolour Collection formed by Mrs Cecil Keith, 1 - 25 May 1984, no. 14 

J. Dayes, 'Edward Dayes 1763 - 1804', The Old Water Colour Society's Club, Vol XXXIX, 1964, pl.XXVII;
M. Hardie, Water-Colour Painting in Britain, 1966, vol I, pl. 193

The colours in this watercolour are well preserved. There may be some very minor fading to some of the pigments. However, the composition remains balanced. (This work has not been examined out of its frame). For further information regarding this lot please contact Mark Griffith-Jones (0207 293 5083) or Emmeline Hallmark (0207 293 5407) mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com
"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."

Edward Dayes is sometimes described as the forgotten hero of late eighteenth century watercolours. Emerging from the tradition of Paul Sandby, he exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1768 until his untimely death in 1804. Thomas Girtin is known to have been his pupil and he proved to be a strong influence on the young J.M.W. Turner.

The present watercolour is dated 1788 and depicts Windsor Castle's North Terrace on a warm summer's day. The terrace was originally built in Tudor times to allow Queen Elizabeth I to take the air and survey the surrounding countryside. By the second half of the eighteenth century however, it was open to the public and had become the setting for fashionable promenades. Joseph Pott wrote in his Pocket Companion to Windsor and the adjacent country (1751) that it was 'the noblest walk in Europe'.

In the foreground Dayes includes a number of elegantly dressed figures. Of particular note are the three highly fashionable ladies wearing large hats adorned with feathers, and the beautifully presented army officer, dressed in his red and blue uniform.

There is a watercolour by Paul Sandby depicting the same subject as the present work in the Royal Collection. The Sandby dates from circa 1765 and has several compositional differences to the present work. Perhaps the most interesting is the height of the trees to the right, which are noticeably smaller than they appear in Dayes' watercolour (see John Bonehill and Stephen Daniels, Paul Sandby, Picturing Britain, 2009, cat. no. 58).