Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, R.A.

The Artist's Studio Sale, London Christie's, 1-8 May 1874, lot 597

R. Ormond, Sir Edwin Landseer, London 1982, p. 203

Support Landseer has used a sheet of thick buff/grey wove paper, which has become time stained over the years. There is also a patterning of darker staining towards the foot, visible in the illustration. At present it is loose in its frame. Medium The medium is fresh and in a good condition. Note: This work was viewed outside studio conditions. Condition Report by Jane McAusland (Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works)
"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 sensitivity of this beautifully rendered sketch stands testimony to the process of refinement characteristic of Landseer's working methods. Independent and spirited sketches such as this, in chalk and pastel, provided the building blocks of his oils and stylistically their spontaneity is a refreshing counterpoint to the high polish of his paintings. Comparable to the Head of a Ghillie, sold in 2005 for £30,000, the second highest price paid for a work on paper by the artist, Landseer head studies rarely come onto the open market. This important work, brought to auction for the first time in one hundred and thirty seven years, is a preparatory sketch for the principle grouping in The Flood (Aberdeen Art Gallery), painted between 1845-60 and exhibited in that year at the Royal Academy.
The subject relates to the Moray floods of August 1829 where, as a result of abnormally heavy rain, the rivers fed by the Cairngorms and Monadhliath Mountains flooded, causing severe damage and loss of life. Initially conceived as a single figure study, showing the back turned mother and child of the present picture surveying the flood from a raised vantage point (National Loan Collection Trust), Landseer completely reworked the scheme into its present form between 1846-60. In turning and centring the female, Landseer makes her face the lightning rod of the arrangement. The impact of the flood, barely visible in the final version, is now expressed via her face through the medium of human emotion. Likewise the child, visible in this study with his head buried against his mother's neck, has had his head turned to reveal his face in the final version. The closed eyes intimate death suggesting that The Flood is to be read as an elegiac meditation on mortality.