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Lot Essay
When the present drawing was executed, Coleshill House, Berkshire, was owned by William Pleydell-Bouverie, 3rd Earl of Radnor (1779-1869). Unfortunately the house was destroyed by fire on 23 September 1952 and as few visual records exist it has not been possible to identify which particular room is depicted in the present drawing. However, aspects of the architectural scheme, such as the niches filled with sculptures, the swag motif and the pediment over the fireplace, echo those of the Staircase and Hall, that featured in a number of articles in Country Life from 1904 to 1919.
The watercolour depicts a scene in which one of Lord Radnor's tenants appears to be pleading with his landlord (or his landlord's land agent) with regards to his rent. England in the 1830s was a time of unrest amongst the rural areas of the south and east over high levels of unemployment and low wages exacerbated by poor harvests and increasingly high rents. The resulting tension between landlord and tenant can be seen in the present drawing.
The watercolour depicts a scene in which one of Lord Radnor's tenants appears to be pleading with his landlord (or his landlord's land agent) with regards to his rent. England in the 1830s was a time of unrest amongst the rural areas of the south and east over high levels of unemployment and low wages exacerbated by poor harvests and increasingly high rents. The resulting tension between landlord and tenant can be seen in the present drawing.