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Born in Liverpool in 1804, William Holland changed his name to William Buelow Gould when he was in his early twenties. His artistic training began when he was employed by a German printer who also encouraged the young Gould to take drawing lessons. Gould then worked at the Spode pottery factory in Staffordshire and it was this experience painting detailed and intricate designs that were to be an invaluable basis for the artist's future oeuvres. In 1827 Gould was charged with stealing and sentenced to seven years transportation. The journey and the eventual arrival in Van Diemen's land was undoubtedly a shock, heightened also by the fact that a return to his homeland would most probably never eventuate. As part of his public service in Hobart Town, Gould was assigned as houseservant to Dr James Scott and the two men were to develop an important partnership which in turn provided the foundation for Gould's success in watercolours. A surgeon and natural history enthusiast, Scott wrote numerous articles on the natural world for publication in London and had Gould provide the meticulous studies of the specimens discussed. These depictions of native Tasmanian plant life and fish were considered some of Gould's most accomplished work. An article from the Hobart Town Chronicle on 23 March 1833 states: 'It is not perhaps generally known that our Colonial surgeon, Dr Scott, has one of the most splendid collections of inimitable drawings, not only of plants, but birds of the island hitherto discovered, among which are several nondescripts." (G Darby, William Buelow Gould, Sydney, 1980, p. 45). In August 1832, Gould was transferred to Macquarie Harbour penal settlement and it was here he painted for Dr W de Little for whom many of these examples were executed and on which De Little recorded his own comments. Gould's botanical studies are paramount not only for the artistic contribution they offer the collector but how they demonstrate the emergence and evolvement of colonial settlement. The collection, classification and description of native flora and fauna although a popular pursuit in the first half of the 19th century, provides the public today with a beautifully preserved and important insight of early colonial life in Tasmania and Australia. A collection of 177 watercolour studies of Tasmanian Wildlife is held in the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston. These originally were in 3 sketchbooks obtained in 1958 from a private collection in the United Kingdom.

WILLIAM BUELOW GOULD (1803-1853)

Botanical Studies

Details

WILLIAM BUELOW GOULD (1803-1853)
Botanical Studies
variously dated 1831 & 1832 but mostly dated without year; variously inscribed with place of collection; variously inscribed with common or scientific name; inconsistently numbered
inscribed 'no 2' (upper right); inscribed 'This plant ought to/have toothed leaves on/the lower part of the/stem JB' (lower left); 21x 15.5 cm

indistinctly inscribed (upper right); inscribed 'Betsey Island/' (Lower left); inscribed 'Colonial name Mangrove' (lower right); 22 x 18 cm

inscribed 'no.21' (upper right); inscribed 'Notolaea Incorrectly drawn/does this exist in nature JB' (lower left); 22 x 18 cm

inscribed '23' (upper right); inscribed 'Anarthria' (lower right); 22 x 18 cm

inscribed '48' (upper right); inscribed 'Macquarie Harbour Nov 30/Two kinds white/and .' (lower left); inscribed 'Melaleuca Gibbosa/inscribed Dr. De Little' (lower right); 22 x 18 cm
5 (5)

Provenance

Anon. sale, Sotheby's, Melbourne, August 1994, lot 34A
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Special notice

A 10% Goods and Services tax (G.S.T) will be charged on the Buyer's Premium on all lots in this sale.

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