JOHN MARTIN | Edwin and Angelina, or The Hermit

Arthur de Noé Walker (1820–1900), London;
His posthumous sale, London, Christie's, 10 December 1900, lot 84 (as 'The Hermit of the Dale', together with 'A River Scene: Moonlight'), for 3 Guineas to G. Fleetwood Wilson;
Rev. E.S. Carr;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 31 March 1950, lot 140 (as 'A Landscape with the Temptation of Christ', together with 'A Woody River Scene, moonlight'), for 45 Guineas to James;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 8 June 1995, lot 48;
Sir John Paul Getty, K.B.E. (1932–2003), London;
By whom posthumously sold, London, Christie's, 24 November 2004, lot 5.

Probably Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox, John Martin 1789–1854. Loan exhibition, exh. cat., London 1975, under cat. no. 10;
M. Myrone (ed.), John Martin. Apocalypse, exh. cat., London 2011, p. 224, note 3, under cat. no. 20.

The small canvas has an old and firm lining, a clean varnish, no visible damages and is in seemingly excellent overall condition. The surface and the impasto is very well preserved. Inspection under UV light reveals only a few very minor and well executed retouchings. The varnish is somewhat more patchy under UV that it appears to the naked eye - and fluoresces opaque in parts. In excellent overall condition. Offered in a gilt gesso and carved wood frame 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."

This painting illustrates part of the ballad 'Edwin and Angelina', in 'The Vicar of Wakefield' by Oliver Goldsmith, first published in 1766: Turn, gentle hermit of the dale / And guide my lonely way, / To where yon taper cheers the vale / With hospitable ray. Angelina, believing her rebuffed suitor Edwin has died of a broken heart, disguises herself as a male pilgrim and embarks on a journey of repentance. A hermit she meets advises the concealed Angelina to renounce women altogether, but upon revealing her true identity, the hermit in turn declares himself to be Edwin and the lovers are reunited. Martin places the figures at the centre of a heroic vista framed by ancient woodland, with majestic, snow-capped mountains beyond – the story of romantic trial set in a harsh wilderness clearly appealed to his predilection for 'the Sublime.' Martin painted at least two other versions of the subject, one of larger dimensions, exhibited at the British Institution in 1843, no. 211, the other of almost identical size, signed and dated 1816, today in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle.¹ The signature on the present work has come to light only since the painting’s last appearance on the market, and although the Laing picture has traditionally been identified as that exhibited at the British Institution in 1817, it is difficult to distinguish between records of both versions.

1 See Myrone 2011, pp. 83 and 224, cat. no. 20, reproduced in colour.