Thomas Baines (1820-1875)

The Property of THE DAWNAY CHILDREN'S TRUST

Details

Thomas Baines (1820-1875)

The Mosi-o-a-Tunya (Smoke resounding) or Victoria Falls, Zambesi River, Lat. 17.55.4 Sth

signed, extensively inscribed and dated; 'T. BAINES/DURBAN/NATAL/APRIL 1874', signed, inscribed and dated 'The Mosi.o.a.tunya (Smoke resounding) or Victoria Falls of the Zambesi River Latitude 17.55.4 South/height 400.feet Width 1900 yards height to which the spray/Cloud rises 1200 feet the View is taken from the edge of the Wet forest opposite the Western most Fall or Leaping Water - beyond this is the 3 rill fall and island then the Great Western or Main Fall and further still the trees of Garden Island almost lost in the Spray Cloud above the farthest Elephant. Sketched from Nature 1862 Painted in D'Urban Natal April 2. 1874 T. Baines' on the reverse

Provenance

Cuthbert Guy Dawnay, who commissioned the picture from the artist in South Africa and thence by descent to the present owner

Lot Essay

Baines reached the Falls for the first time on Chapman's Zambesi expedition of 1861-2. He had joined the expedition with a view to confronting Livingstone over his dismissal from the latter's Zambesi expedition of 1858. The frustration of not meeting Livingstone seems to have been overshadowed by the magnificent experience of the Falls themselves which inspired some of his most successful and popular images. The present painting is one of a group of fifteen oils commissioned by Dawnay (painted in D'Urban between October 1872 and October 1874) of which twelve were sold at Christie's South Kensington in 1982 and 1984

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