Benjamin Williams Leader, R.A.

Purchased by the family of the present owner in Düsseldorf, Germany in the 1950s

The canvas has not been lined. There is a discoloured layer of surface varnish and some surface dirt. There is a wax patch on the reverse. UV light inspection reveals a small area of retouching in the lower right hand quadrant corresponding to the aforementioned patch and what appears to be an area of old retouching to the sky upper left. A heavy layer of opaque varnish obscures more accurate reading. Held in a decorative gilded composition 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."

'These hoary pillars clasped by ivy round,
This hallowed floor by holy footsteps trod,
The mouldering choir by spreading moss embrowned
Where fasting saints devoutly hymned their God.
Unpitying time with slow but certain sweep
Has laid, alas! their ancient splendour low:
Yet here let pilgrims, while they muse and weep,
Think on the lesson that from hence may flow.
Like theirs, how soon may be the tottering state
Of man--the temple of a shorter date.'  
Written in Tintern Abbey, by Edmund Gardner (late 18th Century)

Tintern Abbey lies in the picturesque wooded valley below Chepstow in Monmouthshire, South Wales. The first abbey was founded in the twelfth century by Cistercian monks under the orders of the Norman Lord of Chepstow, Walter Clare. The majestic building that now stands on the banks of the River Wye is the abbey that was built by Clare's descendant Roger Bogod in the late thirteenth century. By the time of the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536, Tintern was the most wealthy abbey in Wales and it still remains one of the most imposing and beautiful buildings in Monmouthshire. Many artists had been inspired by the ruined abbey, including Paul Sandby and Turner who produced dramatic watercolours from the banks of the river, and contemporary writers such as William Wordsworth and the less well known Edmund Gardner who wrote in celebration of the beauty of Tintern. Although painted a hundred years after Wordsworth and Turner had glorified the ruins, Leader's views of Tintern were no less dramatic and inspiring, evoking a mood of nostalgic reverie and of faded but still present glory.

Leader painted a number of views of the ruined Cistercian abbey at Tintern from sketches made on a visit with his sister Patty in the autumn of 1869. William Agnew bought Leader's first view of the abbey, an upright painting which the artist had intended to exhibit at the Royal Academy but had failed to do so. Leader continued to be fascinated with Tintern and painted a view of the abbey as late as 1907 (sold in these rooms, 6 November 1996, lot. 145).