- 101
John Ruskin
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description
- John Ruskin
- Study of a Sprig of a Myrtle Tree
- Watercolor over pencil, heightened with pen and brown ink and white;
inscribed verso: ?Andromeda
Provenance
W.G. Collingwood, Coniston, Lancashire;
sale, London, Christie's, 19 March 1985, lot 138;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 10 April 1997, lot 74,
where acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado
sale, London, Christie's, 19 March 1985, lot 138;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 10 April 1997, lot 74,
where acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado
Exhibited
Kendal, Abbott Hall Art Gallery, Ruskin, 1969, unnumbered
Condition
The colours in this beautiful work are well preserved. The paper has darkened a little but not so much as to disturb the balance of the image. The work is laid down to non-acidic card.
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
Although Ruskin was in the habit of drawing twigs, leaves and flowers from the 1840s onwards, it was not until the 1870s that he planned a book devoted to Botany. Proserpina, published in parts between 1875 and 1886, was written for 'ordinary human and childish faculties.' He avoided the conventional formal scientific approach of botanists which he had found complicated and uninspiring all his life. Instead, he strove with his writing and illustrations to pass on his appreciation for the pure beauty of wayside flowers.
The present drawing was not used by the publisher George Allen for Proserpina, but it relates closely to the illustration entitled Myrtle Regina that was taken from a watercolor drawn at Isella in northern Italy in 1877.1 It would seem likely that the present watercolor is also from that year.
Ruskin was struck by the shape of the plant and referred to 'the proud bending back of her head by Myrtilla Regina: an action as beautiful in her as it is terrible in the Kingly Serpent of Egypt'.2
The present drawing was not used by the publisher George Allen for Proserpina, but it relates closely to the illustration entitled Myrtle Regina that was taken from a watercolor drawn at Isella in northern Italy in 1877.1 It would seem likely that the present watercolor is also from that year.
Ruskin was struck by the shape of the plant and referred to 'the proud bending back of her head by Myrtilla Regina: an action as beautiful in her as it is terrible in the Kingly Serpent of Egypt'.2
1. Ed. E.T. Cook and A. Wedderburn, Works of John Ruskin, London 1906, vol. XXV, p. 363
2. Ibid