William Collins R.A.

Possibly the artist's posthumous sale, Christie's, London, June 3, 1847, lot 490
Elizabeth Stuart (1827-1837) wife of Thomas Baring, 1^st Baron Northbrook
by descent to Simon Baring
Thomas Agnew and Sons, London
Evelyn Joll's Private Collection
Thomas Williams Fine Art, London
Acquired from the above, 2004

London, Thomas Agnew and Sons, Watercolours and Drawings, 2003, no. 59
London, Thomas Williams Fine Art, Old Master Drawings, July, 2004, no. 31
Yale 2010, no. 75

The sheet has been carefully preserved and presented. The work has not been laid down but is attached to the mount at the sheet edges. There are some minor foxmarks and the sheet is slightly stained and there maybe evidence of a previous area of waterdamage upper left which is visible from the reverse and only in raking light or on very close inspection. The watercolor and ink pigments remain clear and strong with evidence of only minor fading overall. For further information on this lot please contact either Mark Griffith-Jones (mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com - 0044207 293 5083), Emmeline Hallmark (emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com - 0044207 293 5407) or Nancy Bialler (nancy.bialler@sothebys.com - 001 212 606 7222).
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.

Renowned for his coastal genre scenes, William Collins lived in Italy from 1836 to 1838. On the advice of Sir David Wilkie he visited Tivoli in the spring of 1837. This sheet depicts the avenue of cypress trees leading up to the villa, a building that was created for Ippolito II, Cardinal d'Este in 1550. Ignored by its Hapsburg owners in the eighteenth century, the house and gardens would be immortalized in their picturesque decay by Fragonard and Hubert Robert. Collins used this same composition in an oil painting which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1842 (Victoria & Albert Museum, London).