Jacob More

Lady Moyra Loyd, daughter of William Brodrick, 9th Viscount Midleton and wife of General Sir Henry Loyd;
Her sale, London, Christie's, 18 November 1960, lots 101 and 102;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 18 April 1962, lot 120, where purchased by the present owner.

L. Herrmann, British Landscape Painting of the Eighteenth Century, New York 1974, p. 701;
E. Waterhouse, The dictionary of British 18th century painters in oils and crayons, London 1981, p. 244, reproduced;
J. Holloway, Jacob More 1720–1793, Edinburgh 1987, p. 24, reproduced no. 7;
P.R. Andrew, 'Jacob More: Biography and a Checklist of Works', The Walpole Society, vol. LV, 1989/90, cat. nos. B.24.i and B.31, reproduced figs 135 and 136;
K. Nicholson, Turner's Classical Landscapes; Myth and Meaning, Princeton 1990, Rape of Deianara, p. 28, reproduced fig. 21.

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: The two oval canvases are securely attached to their supports. They have overall patterns of raised craquelure which are stable. There are small scattered retouchings mainly covering craquelure in both paintings and further retouchings running through the viaduct in the foreground on the second painting. Overall the paintings are in good condition.
"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 first of these two decorative landscapes, The Rape of Deianera, depicts the famous episode from classical mythology in which Deianera, the daughter of Althaea and Oeneus and the third wife of Heracles, was kidnapped by Nessus, a wild centaur, as she crossed the river Enenos. The episode forms part of the legend of the Tunic of Nessus and portrays the centaur and his victim emerging from the river in the central foreground, while Heracles prepares to shoot his poisoned arrow and rescue his beloved.

The second, Rest on the Flight, visualises the biblical reference to the Holy Family's exodus from Israel into Egypt, but is set in the undulating topography of the Roman Campagna, with an aqueduct and the Pyramid of Cestius beyond. The composition is influenced by Claude's painting of the same subject that hangs in the Doria-Pamphilj Gallery, a work which the artist may well have seen while in Rome.

More arrived in Rome in 1773, having studied under Wilson in London, and quickly established himself as the leading landscape painter among the thriving colony of British artists working there. In 1781 his talents were recognised and he was rewarded with his election to the Accademia di San Luca in Rome, whose members also commissioned his portrait (now in the Uffizi, Florence).