Old Master & British Works on Paper

Old Master & British Works on Paper

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 151. The flight of Theseus and Ariadne from Minos.

Property of a lady

George Romney

The flight of Theseus and Ariadne from Minos

Lot Closed

July 6, 04:27 PM GMT

Estimate

2,000 - 3,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Property of a lady

George Romney

Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire 1734 - 1802 Kendal, Cumbria

The flight of Theseus and Ariadne from Minos 


Black chalk on laid paper 

281 by 389 mm

By descent to the artist's daughter, Miss Romney, according to a label on the backboard;
Sir Alfred Beit (1853-1906),
Sir Otto Beit, 1st Bt (1865-1930);
acquired by the great-aunt of the present owner, 1960s

Romney often turned to drawing as an outlet for his imaginative ideas. The swirling chalk lines of the present sheet perfectly convey the drama of Ariadne and Theseus's flight from her father, Minos, after she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur. 


The present study relates closely to a pen and ink drawing, dated circa 1775-1780, that is now held in the National Gallery of Canada.1


We are grateful to Alex Kidson for his help when cataloguing this work.


1. National Gallery of Canada: acc. no. 9069