Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, R.A.

The artist's studio sale, London, Christie's, 8 May 1874 (first day of sale), lot 84, for £180 to Agnew's on behalf of

Charles William Mansel Lewis (1845–1931), Stradey Castle, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire;

Thence by descent.

Sheffield, Mappin Art Gallery, Landseer and His World, 6 February – 12 March 1972, no. 53.

The painting is in very good condition. It is not as dark, or as yellow as it appears in the catalogue illustration. There is one very small loss of paint at the extreme edge of the board, in the lower right corner where it meets the edge of the frame and a small amount of very minor associated cracking of the paint around it. There is a visible fault line in the board running through the length of the top most sheep (visible in the catalogue illustration). This is inherent to the board. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals a slightly opaque and dirty varnish overall, but no signs of any retouching. The picture therefore appears to be in exceptional, untouched, original condition. Held in a 19th century wooden frame with gilt plaster moulding, with a recess at the front for a removable glazed panel (the glazed panel is missing), in good condition with no significant losses.
"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."

This exceptionally well preserved and freely handled sketch of Highland sheep is one of a number of early oil sketches, drawings and écorche studies of animals that were bought from Landseer’s studio sale by the amateur artist Charles Mansel Lewis (1845–1931). Painted rapidly, with confident and assured brushstrokes, it demonstrates the artist’s innate feeling for the physical properties of animal pelage; the shaggy texture of wool and the dull sheen of horn. Together with his intrinsic understanding of anatomy, it was this quality that made Landseer the most brilliant animal painter of the nineteenth century.

Mansel Lewis had cultivated his interest in art whilst at Oxford University where he befriended the Slade Professor of Art, William Riviere, whose work he later collected, together with that of his son, Briton Riviere. In 1874 he inherited the Stradey estate in South Wales, where he swiftly constructed an artist’s studio at the top of a tower with windows looking out onto the Bristol Channel, where he could paint by the soft Carmarthen light. At about this time he also met and became a lifelong friend and patron of Hubert von Herkomer.

The six day sale of the contents of Landseer’s studio, including paintings, drawings, prints and books held at Christie’s in May 1874 attracted widespread interest, with strong competition from collectors and dealers alike for the 1,400 lots. Mansel Lewis obviously felt an affinity with Landseer’s sporting scenes, his deer hounds, dead stags, hawks and sporting dogs (see preceding two lots), and his studies of animals and rural life. As a painter himself, however, he was also clearly intrigued by the process of Landseer’s art, the didactic studies through which he had mastered his craft and trained his eye.