- 46
Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A.
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Withypool by the Barle, Exmoor
- signed l.l.: A.J. MUNNINGS; inscribed and dated on the reverse: Withypool-By the Barle-Exmoor 1940
- oil on board
- 46 by 61cm., 18 by 24in.
Provenance
Frost and Reed, London;
Private collection
Private collection
Exhibited
Bournemouth, Russell Cotes Art Gallery, 1955, no.1012;
Royal Academy, Sir Alfred Munnings, 1956, no.387
Royal Academy, Sir Alfred Munnings, 1956, no.387
Condition
The board appears to be sound. Two very minor scratches in the upper right corner and a faint vertical abrasion approximately 5cm. long. There is a minor abrasion by lower left corner of green bank in foreground; some surface dirt otherwise the work appears in good overall condition.
Under ultraviolet light there appear to be no signs of retouching.
Held in a gilt Louis XVI style frame.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
In the final volume of his autobiography, The Finish (Museum Press Ltd., London, 1952), Sir Alfred Munnings recalls fondly his trips to Exmoor and to the wooded banks of the Barle at Withypool (see pp.50, 66, 72 and 102). Munnings would spend several months at a time with his wife in a house rented from the local farmer and explore the surrounding countryside on horseback: 'What rides! and what respite, resting by a running stream at the bottom of a far-off combe, eating food out of a paper bag, and afterwards drinking from the stream' (The Finish, p.50).
In the present work we sense the great pleasure of such a setting - a young boy fishing on the bank, the sound of the stream, a blue sky and dove-coloured clouds - rendered in bold, energetic brushstrokes and flashes of colour.