Thomas Gainsborough, R.A.

Alistair Horton;
by descent to John Wright;
with The Ruskin Gallery, by 1964;
J.B. Kenrick, Birmingham;
with Spinks, London;
Sale, London, Sotheby's, 30 March 1983, lot 108 (bought by the present owner)

Birmingham, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Works of Art belonging to the Friends of the Art Gallery, 1962, no. 58;
Stratford, The Ruskin Gallery, English Watercolours and Drawings 1750-1950, Spring 1964, no. 35

J. Hayes, The Drawings of Thomas Gainsborough, 1970, p. 242, cat. no. 578, pl. 180;
J. Hayes, 'Gainsborough and the Gaspardesque', in The Burlington Magazine, 1970, p. 308

The medium has remained strong and clear. The paper has, in general, not discoloured. However, around the edges of the sheet there is a thin brown burn line, which is associated with previous mounting. Towards the bottom corner of the sheet there is a repaired tear (measuring circa 2 cm). There is also an area of paper loss located at the centre of the extreme upper edge of the sheet. For further information on this lot please contact Mark Griffith-Jones at mark.griffithjones@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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

John Hayes has identified the present drawing as having been executed on the artist's 1783 tour of the Lake District. In search of grand and dramatic subjects, Gainsborough set out for this trip in the summer of 1783 with his friend the Reverend Samuel Kilderbee (1725-1813). His intention as he stated to William Pearce was to 'mount all the Lakes at the next exhibition, in the great stile [sic]'.¹

Only two drawings are known to have survived from the tour, this work and a drawing entitled Study of Langdale Pikes, now in the collection of the Wordsworth Trust, Cumbria. The precise view in the present work has remained difficult to locate accurately.  A recent label attached to the frame inscribed Ullswater suggests that this lake, to the south west of Penrith, has been considered as the potential location. However, the landscape at Kentmere looking to the Garburn Pass and the Lorton Valley near Cockermouth, looking to Low Fell, have also been identified as being topographically similar.

1. See Hayes, op. cit., 1970, p. 308