Augustus Edwin John, O.M. R.A.

Mrs. Ambrose McEvoy
Miss E. Doucet
Arthur Tooth & Sons, 1945
Dudley Tooth, and thence by descent to the present owners

London, Alex. Reid & Lefevre Ltd (details untraced);
London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, 1945 (details untraced);
Leeds, Temple Newsam House, Paintings and Drawings by Augustus John O.M. R.A., 24th July - 31st August 1946, cat. no.83;
London, Royal Academy of Arts, Diploma Gallery, Exhibition of Works by August John, 1954, cat. no.59;
Sheffield, Graves Art Gallery, Augustus John, August 1956, cat. no.66;
London, Upper Grosvenor Galleries, A Loan Exhibition of Drawings and Murals by Augustus John, 1st April - 30th April 1965, cat. no.56;
London, Olympia, Augustus John, 23rd - 28th February 1999, cat. no.66;
London, Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert, Augustus John: Master Works from Private Collections, 29th September - 29th October 2004, un-numbered exhibition, illustrated.

The sheet is fully laid down to a backing card, with an unevenly cut upper edge, and a deckled upper and right hand edge. There is a tiny area of compression in the extreme bottom left corner. None of this is visible in the present mount. There is staining to the sheet, with one of two spots of light, early foxing, and further traces of light surface matter apparent, most noticeable in the lower quarter of the composition. This excepting the work appears in good overall condition, with strong, fresh pencil throughout. Housed behind glass in a thin gilt frame, set within a cream card mount. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present lot.
"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."

A fellow student at the Slade, Ambrose McEvoy was part of the small coeterie that included Augustus and Gwen John, William Orpen and Benjamin Evans; the bright young things of the London art scene at the turn of the 20^th Century. Like John, McEvoy was a fashionable portrait artist, and the pair travelled extensively in Europe before sharing a studio at 76 Charlotte Street in 1898. It was, however, with Augustus’s sister Gwen that he shared the closest relationship, a brief but dramatic period of both of their lives, which terminated in McEvoy’s engagement and marriage to fellow Slade artist Mary Augusta Spencer Edwards in 1902. The new Mrs McEvoy was eight years his senior and had exhibited at the New English Arts Club between 1900 and 1906, at which point she abandoned painting until after her husband’s death in 1927.

Owned initially by the sitter, the present work passed to the collection of Miss E. Doucet, before coming into the hands of Dudley Tooth, the legendary London art dealer.  So admiring of the tenderness and aptitude of this gentle and very personal portrait that it remained within his personal collection, alongside a further portrait also by John of his sister Gwen (see lot 137). Together they display the artist’s great skill in portraits of women in particular, and his masterful handling of pencil. Regarded as one of the most successful society portraitists of the past century, these private drawings award an insight into the close and personal circle of the London art scene of the early years of the 20^th Century.