Turbia, near Monaco

Details

Edward Lear (1812-1888)
Turbia, near Monaco
signed with monogram (lower left)
pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, with gum arabic
4 5/8 x 7 1/8 in. (11.8 x 18.2 cm.)

Provenance

Mr and Mrs William Prescott, friends of the artist and by descent in the Prescott-Decie family to the present owner.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

La Turbíe, on the highest point of the Via Aurelia, lies in the hills behind Monaco and Monte Carlo. Lear left England during the winter of 1864/5 to walk along the coast of Southern France to Genoa, covering between 16 and 20 miles a day. He was back in Nice by New Year's Eve 1864. A view of Turbia was also used to illustrate Tennyson's poem 'The Daisy'
'What Roman strength Turbía show'd
In ruin, by the mountain road;'

Another watercolour of this subject was sold in the Rooms, 19 November 1985, lot 60, £6,600.

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