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Lot Essay
John Southern writes of a similar watercolour Winter's Sunset, painted a few years earlier in 1910: '..one of Thorburn's finest achievements of one of his favourite situations and subjects.' (J. Southern, Thorburn's Birds and Mammals, London, 1986, p. 70). In the present watercolour Thorburn surpassed his earlier efforts and this is probably the finest portrait of pheasant by Thorburn to appear on the auction market. It must count amongst his most important natural history paintings.
Thorburn loved to paint his birds in situations where they are obviously doing battle with the elements and his winter landscapes are often considered his greatest. In the present watercolour Thorburn has captured the alertness of the cock pheasant, standing watch over the two hens, and his rendering of the sheen on the feathers is exquisite.
Thorburn moved to Hascombe in 1902 and the majority of his pictures of pheasant are painted in the nearby woods of Gertrude Jekyll's 'Old West Surrey'.
Winter's Sunset sold in the Thorburn Museum sale, 31 March 1993, lot 68, (34,700).
Thorburn loved to paint his birds in situations where they are obviously doing battle with the elements and his winter landscapes are often considered his greatest. In the present watercolour Thorburn has captured the alertness of the cock pheasant, standing watch over the two hens, and his rendering of the sheen on the feathers is exquisite.
Thorburn moved to Hascombe in 1902 and the majority of his pictures of pheasant are painted in the nearby woods of Gertrude Jekyll's 'Old West Surrey'.
Winter's Sunset sold in the Thorburn Museum sale, 31 March 1993, lot 68, (34,700).