A skating party on the Serpentine, London

Details

Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827)
A skating party on the Serpentine, London
pencil, brown ink and watercolour
5¾ x 9 in. (14.7 x 23 cm.)

Provenance

Sir Bruce Ingram (L. 1405a); Sotheby's, 21 October, 1964, lot 138.
with Colnaghi's, London.
with Spink, London.
Richard Gump.
Phillips, London, 19 June 1974.
with Xanthus, Norwich, 1992, where purchased by David and Beryl Harris.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

The present drawing is related to the right-hand portion of a painting by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, R.A., entitled 'A Winter Morning, with a party sketching' in the collection of M. Pierre Vieljeux, Paris, exhibited in 1776 and engraved in 1784. Julius Caesar Ibbetson also executed a drawing entitled Skating on the Serpentine in 1796, (Eton College). However the theme derives ultimately from Hendrik Avercamp.

The subject of a skating party provided Rowlandson with a perfect opportunity to depict the comic moments he revelled in. Rowlandson executed a large drawing of Skaters on the Serpentine, (National Museum of Wales, Cardiff), which he exhibited along with Vauxhall Gardens (Victoria and Albert Museum) at the Royal Academy in 1784 and painted a number of other versions.

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