The Horse Mart, Barbican

The subject of The Horse Mart was clearly a favourite of Bevan's. In 1917-18, the artist painted an oil on canvas, 20 x 28 in. (50.8 x 71 cm.) of this subject (The Paul Mellon Bequest, Yale Centre for British Art) which is illustrated in black and white in R. Bevan, Robert Bevan A Memoir by his Son, 1965, pl. 64. By 1920, he had produced an edition of sixty five unnumbered lithographs of this subject entitled The Horse Mart (Barbican No. 1) (see G. Dry, Robert Bevan 1865-1925 catalogue raisonné of the lithographs and other prints, London, 1968, no. 34). The present composition is the study drawing (which is in reverse of the oil), from which the lithographic stone for the print would have been made. The light squaring can be explained as being used for the copying to the lithographic stone.

Of the sixty five prints, twenty are on white laid paper with wide margins and the watermark ANTIQUE DE LUXE, some of which are signed Robert P. Bevan, in the lower right margin, in pencil. Twenty five are on white laid paper with narrow margins, some of which are signed by the artist in the lower right margin. Twenty are on cream laid paper with wide margins, some of which are stamped with the monogram RPB in the lower right margin. In addition, there are also two unsigned proofs on cream laid paper with narrow margins, watermarked ANTIQUE DE LUXE (see G. Dry, loc. cit.).

We are very grateful to Frances Stenlake for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.