- 101
Horace van Ruith
Estimate
7,000 - 9,000 USD
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Description
- Horace van Ruith
- A Kattiwar Sentry
- Signed and inscribed 'HORACE VAN RUITH Bombay' lower left and further signed, titled and inscribed 'A Kattiwar Sentry by Horace van Ruith / Bombay' on reverse
- Oil on canvas
- 11⅜ x 6⅝ in. (29.1 x 16.7 cm.)
Provenance
Phillips London, 16 June 1998, lot 53
Borghi Fine Art, New Jersey
Private collection, New York
Acquired from the above
Borghi Fine Art, New Jersey
Private collection, New York
Acquired from the above
Condition
There is very minor wear along the top and left edge and slight cracking to brown pigment in the lower left quadrant. A tiny scratch in the center of bottom edge. UV light: minor spots of retouching - in the beard, bright red sash in the center and above the signature in the lower left quadrant are fluorescing under ultra-violet light. This work is in very good condition for its age.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Horace van Ruith specialized in landscapes, genre scenes and portraiture in both oil and watercolor. Although he was born in Capri, he subsequently settled in England, after spending several years working in Italy. He visited Bombay during the early 1880s and established a studio there, where this work was made. His paintings on India mostly portrayed the local people and captured their daily lives, from leisure activities to various trades. In 1886, he returned to London and partook in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition opened by Queen Victoria where he displayed a number of paintings with similar subjects. Her son, the Duke of Connaught, wrote of van Ruith in a letter to the Queen, stating that ‘no man understands the peculiar characteristics of Indian life better than he does and he is a very clever artist.’ (P. Rohatgi, P. Godrej and R. Mehrotra, Bombay to Mumbai: Changing Perspectives, Marg Publications, Mumbai, 1997, p. 153)