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Lot Essay
The present drawing is a particularly good example of Gainsborough's late 1750s compositions, with the bold contrasts of the intense shadows and the soft feathery pencil work.
Hayes writes that the quality of this highly finished drawing, together with its clarity, breadth of detail and cross-hatching in the sky, suggests that it was intended for translation into print. It can be compared with a similar drawing, previously in the Witt Collection (Hayes, op. cit., no. 233) also of the late 1750s Ipswich period. The drawings that we know were for engravings usually have signatures and dates beneath the composition on the same sheet (see Hayes op. cit., pl. 74) something not included on the present drawing. However the degree of finish of the present drawing suggests it may originally have been intended for engraving.
The ruined castle, solitary herdsman and distant hills anticipate the subject matter of Gainsborough's late 1780s drawings. Despite the obvious contrast in medium Hayes op. cit., no. 807, pl. 303 is comparable to the present drawing in terms of compositional motif and atmosphere.
This drawing was once owned by Guy Bellingham Smith (1865-1945), a surgeon whose collection consisted of 20 landscape drawings of extremely high quality. Bellingham Smith's Gainsborough collection is counted amoung the three finest formed during the latter part of the 19th century and first part of the 20th century and the majority were sold privately to Colnaghi.
We are grateful to Hugh Belsey of Gainsborough's House, Sudbury for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.
Hayes writes that the quality of this highly finished drawing, together with its clarity, breadth of detail and cross-hatching in the sky, suggests that it was intended for translation into print. It can be compared with a similar drawing, previously in the Witt Collection (Hayes, op. cit., no. 233) also of the late 1750s Ipswich period. The drawings that we know were for engravings usually have signatures and dates beneath the composition on the same sheet (see Hayes op. cit., pl. 74) something not included on the present drawing. However the degree of finish of the present drawing suggests it may originally have been intended for engraving.
The ruined castle, solitary herdsman and distant hills anticipate the subject matter of Gainsborough's late 1780s drawings. Despite the obvious contrast in medium Hayes op. cit., no. 807, pl. 303 is comparable to the present drawing in terms of compositional motif and atmosphere.
This drawing was once owned by Guy Bellingham Smith (1865-1945), a surgeon whose collection consisted of 20 landscape drawings of extremely high quality. Bellingham Smith's Gainsborough collection is counted amoung the three finest formed during the latter part of the 19th century and first part of the 20th century and the majority were sold privately to Colnaghi.
We are grateful to Hugh Belsey of Gainsborough's House, Sudbury for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.