Edward Thompson Davis

Bonhams, Leeds, 14 June 2005, lot 116;
The Maas Gallery, London, July 2005

The board is bowed, some minor frame abrasions along lower edge; otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals some retouching along the lower edge, some flecks of retouching located in the background and a minor fleck to the figure's cheek, well executed. Held in dark wood frame with gilt inset.
"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 Thompson Davis was a brilliant draughtsman, who painted childhood subjects and scenes of everyday rural life, particularly views and subjects from the local villages of Worcestershire. The present work is inscribed Northwick/near Worcester on an old label on the reverse; the address where Davis was born and lived. Reminiscent of the great Flemish Masters David Teniers and Adriaen Brouwer, Davis captures a moment when an exhausted young traveller sits on a wooden chair within a simple virtually empty interior, symbolising the young man's minimal belongings and low worth. He rests his hands and chin on a freshly snapped branch heightening the viewers empathy that he has travelled a long and difficult journey. His boots are worn and falling apart, his laces manage to pull only a few holes together and his ragged, damaged clothes are all he has for cover and warmth. A small red parcel sits closely by his side, representing all that he owns.

A Weary Wanderer is an example of heart-felt social observation by Davis. It is likely this boy has been forced out of home to find work in the rural countryside in an ever-increasing industrial nation where families and their children flocked to the cities, often resulting in cheap employment under the roofs of the great Victorian workhouses. Davis implements the white ground that was used by the Pre-Raphaelites; highlighting the colour pigments and glazes in his works. His meticulous, painstakingly detailed work illustrates the influence the Pre-Raphaelite movement had with so many followers, reaching well beyond London and the other great cities into rural Britain.

Apart from visiting Holland and a short stay in London in 1856, Davis did not travel extensively.  However, in 1866 he went to Rome where he caught  a short illness and died there on 12 June 1867. During his artistic career, he exhibited nineteen works at the Royal Academy and sixteen pictures at the British Institution. As with Walter Howell Deverell, who painted the great early Pre-Raphaelite painting Twelfth Night and tragically died from Bright's disease at the age of twenty-seven, one wonders what fabulous works these two highly gifted artists would have painted if they had lived longer.