.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
WILLIAM WEBBE IS AN INTERESTING AND MYSTERIOUS FIGURE ON THE FRINGE OF THE PRE-RAPHAELITE CIRCLE. EVEN THE SPELLING OF HIS NAME IS UNCERTAIN, 'WEBB' AND 'WEBBE' BOTH OCCURRING IN EARLY RECORDS; AND WE DO NOT KNOW THE DATES OF EITHER HIS BIRTH OR DEATH.
HE BEGAN TO EXHIBIT AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1853, AND HIS EARLIEST PICTURES ARE PAINSTAKING STUDIES OF ANIMALS, BIRDS AND FLOWERS, OFTEN WITH A TOUCH OF HUMOUR. A BIZARRE EXAMPLE, THE COLLARED THIEF, A PAINTING OF 1860 SHOWING A CAT WITH ITS HEAD STUCK IN A BROKEN JUG OF MILK, WAS SOLD IN THESE ROOMS ON 4 NOVEMBER 1994, LOT 207. THESE PICTURES BETRAY OBVIOUS PRE-RAPHAELITE INFLUENCE, AND IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT ONE, THE WHITE OWL, EXHIBITED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1856, WAS NOTICED BY RUSKIN IN HIS ACADEMY NOTES. AT THIS DATE WEBBE WAS LIVING ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT, BUT BY 1861, OR POSSIBLY A YEAR OR TWO EARLIER, HE HAD A STUDIO IN LANGHAM CHAMBERS, A NEW BLOCK OF STUDIOS IN PORTLAND PLACE, LONDON, WHERE MANY OF THE PRE-RAPHAELITES FOREGATHERED. MILLAIS HAD A STUDIO THERE IN THE LATE 1850S, AND ANOTHER RESIDENT, THE PORTRAIT PAINTER LOWES DICKINSON, ORGANIZED LIFE CLASSES WHICH WERE ATTENDED DURING THE SAME PERIOD BY ROSSETTI AND HIS TWO FOLLOWERS, BURNE-JONES AND WILLIAM MORRIS. FORD MADOX BROWN, AN OLD FRIEND OF LOWES DICKINSON, WAS ANOTHER HABITUé.
BUT THE PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTER TO WHOM WEBBE WAS MOST INDEBTED WAS WILLIAM HOLMAN HUNT. A NUMBER OF STUDIES OF SHEEP SUGGEST THAT HE WAS DEEPLY IMPRESSED BY HUNT'S TWO MORALISING PAINTINGS ON THIS THEME, THE HIRELING SHEPHERD (MANCHESTER) AND STRAYED SHEEP (TATE GALLERY), EXHIBITED RESPECTIVELY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1852 AND 1853. FURTHERMORE, IN 1862 WEBBE PAID A VISIT TO JERUSALEM AND THE HOLY LAND, PRESUMABLY INSPIRED BY THE ONE THAT HUNT HAD MADE IN 1854-6 AND THE WORKS WHICH HAD RESULTED FROM IT, THE SCAPEGOAT (PORT SUNLIGHT), EXHIBITED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1856, AND THE FINDING OF THE SAVIOUR IN THE TEMPLE (BIRMINGHAM), SHOWN AT THE GERMAN GALLERY, BOND STREET, IN 1860. IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW LONG WEBBE STAYED IN THE EAST, OR WHETHER HE MADE MORE THAN ONE JOURNEY. HE EXHIBITED HIS FIRST EASTERN SUBJECT, A SHEPHERD OF JERUSALEM, AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1863, AND SENT THEM REGULARLY UNTIL 1870, WHEN HE SHOWED THE RAIN CLOUD, PALESTINE. IMAGES OF SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING CONTINUED TO DOMINATE THESE WORKS, AND THEY CLEARLY HAD MORAL AND RELIGIOUS OVERTONES, JUST AS THEY DID FOR HUNT. SOME PICTURES, LIKE HUNT'S AGAIN, HAD PASSAGES FROM SCRIPTURE QUOTED IN THE CATALOGUE TO EMPHASISE THEIR ETHICAL DIMENSION. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WEBBE'S WORK IN THIS MODE IS THE LOST SHEEP, EXHIBITED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1864 AND NOW IN THE MANCHESTER CITY ART GALLERY. IT IS ALSO APPARENTLY HIS ONLY PICTURE IN AN ENGLISH PUBLIC COLLECTION.
WEBBE CONTINUED TO EXHIBIT AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY UNTIL 1878. HE ALSO SHOWED AT THE BRITISH INSTITUTION (1855-64), AT SUFFOLK STREET AND ELSEWHERE. HE MAKES A BRIEF APPEARANCE IN PERCY BATE'S EARLY MONOGRAPH ON THE PRE-RAPHAELITE MOVEMENT, THE ENGLISH PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTERS (1899), AND MORE RECENTLY ALLEN STALEY HAS DISCUSSED HIM IN THE PRE-RAPHAELITE LANDSCAPE (1973), STRESSING HIS DEPENDENCE ON HOLMAN HUNT AND DESCRIBING HIS EARLY WORKS AS SHOWING 'PRE-RAPHAELITE ELABORATION OF MICROSCOPIC FOREGROUND FOLIAGE PUSHED TO AN ALMOST INSANE EXTREME'. WEBBE'S WORKS TEND TO BE RARE. HE SHOWED ONLY TWENTY PICTURES IN ALL AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, AND EIGHT AT THE BRITISH INSTITUTION.
THE PRESENT PICTURE WAS OBVIOUSLY INSPIRED BY WEBBE'S EXPERIENCE IN THE EAST, AND CAN BE DATED TO THE LATER 1860S. THE LARGE MASS FILLING THE BACKGROUND IS A MOTIF FOUND IN OTHER WORKS BASED ON HIS PALESTINIAN TRAVELS.
HE BEGAN TO EXHIBIT AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1853, AND HIS EARLIEST PICTURES ARE PAINSTAKING STUDIES OF ANIMALS, BIRDS AND FLOWERS, OFTEN WITH A TOUCH OF HUMOUR. A BIZARRE EXAMPLE, THE COLLARED THIEF, A PAINTING OF 1860 SHOWING A CAT WITH ITS HEAD STUCK IN A BROKEN JUG OF MILK, WAS SOLD IN THESE ROOMS ON 4 NOVEMBER 1994, LOT 207. THESE PICTURES BETRAY OBVIOUS PRE-RAPHAELITE INFLUENCE, AND IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT ONE, THE WHITE OWL, EXHIBITED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1856, WAS NOTICED BY RUSKIN IN HIS ACADEMY NOTES. AT THIS DATE WEBBE WAS LIVING ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT, BUT BY 1861, OR POSSIBLY A YEAR OR TWO EARLIER, HE HAD A STUDIO IN LANGHAM CHAMBERS, A NEW BLOCK OF STUDIOS IN PORTLAND PLACE, LONDON, WHERE MANY OF THE PRE-RAPHAELITES FOREGATHERED. MILLAIS HAD A STUDIO THERE IN THE LATE 1850S, AND ANOTHER RESIDENT, THE PORTRAIT PAINTER LOWES DICKINSON, ORGANIZED LIFE CLASSES WHICH WERE ATTENDED DURING THE SAME PERIOD BY ROSSETTI AND HIS TWO FOLLOWERS, BURNE-JONES AND WILLIAM MORRIS. FORD MADOX BROWN, AN OLD FRIEND OF LOWES DICKINSON, WAS ANOTHER HABITUé.
BUT THE PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTER TO WHOM WEBBE WAS MOST INDEBTED WAS WILLIAM HOLMAN HUNT. A NUMBER OF STUDIES OF SHEEP SUGGEST THAT HE WAS DEEPLY IMPRESSED BY HUNT'S TWO MORALISING PAINTINGS ON THIS THEME, THE HIRELING SHEPHERD (MANCHESTER) AND STRAYED SHEEP (TATE GALLERY), EXHIBITED RESPECTIVELY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1852 AND 1853. FURTHERMORE, IN 1862 WEBBE PAID A VISIT TO JERUSALEM AND THE HOLY LAND, PRESUMABLY INSPIRED BY THE ONE THAT HUNT HAD MADE IN 1854-6 AND THE WORKS WHICH HAD RESULTED FROM IT, THE SCAPEGOAT (PORT SUNLIGHT), EXHIBITED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1856, AND THE FINDING OF THE SAVIOUR IN THE TEMPLE (BIRMINGHAM), SHOWN AT THE GERMAN GALLERY, BOND STREET, IN 1860. IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW LONG WEBBE STAYED IN THE EAST, OR WHETHER HE MADE MORE THAN ONE JOURNEY. HE EXHIBITED HIS FIRST EASTERN SUBJECT, A SHEPHERD OF JERUSALEM, AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1863, AND SENT THEM REGULARLY UNTIL 1870, WHEN HE SHOWED THE RAIN CLOUD, PALESTINE. IMAGES OF SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING CONTINUED TO DOMINATE THESE WORKS, AND THEY CLEARLY HAD MORAL AND RELIGIOUS OVERTONES, JUST AS THEY DID FOR HUNT. SOME PICTURES, LIKE HUNT'S AGAIN, HAD PASSAGES FROM SCRIPTURE QUOTED IN THE CATALOGUE TO EMPHASISE THEIR ETHICAL DIMENSION. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WEBBE'S WORK IN THIS MODE IS THE LOST SHEEP, EXHIBITED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1864 AND NOW IN THE MANCHESTER CITY ART GALLERY. IT IS ALSO APPARENTLY HIS ONLY PICTURE IN AN ENGLISH PUBLIC COLLECTION.
WEBBE CONTINUED TO EXHIBIT AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY UNTIL 1878. HE ALSO SHOWED AT THE BRITISH INSTITUTION (1855-64), AT SUFFOLK STREET AND ELSEWHERE. HE MAKES A BRIEF APPEARANCE IN PERCY BATE'S EARLY MONOGRAPH ON THE PRE-RAPHAELITE MOVEMENT, THE ENGLISH PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTERS (1899), AND MORE RECENTLY ALLEN STALEY HAS DISCUSSED HIM IN THE PRE-RAPHAELITE LANDSCAPE (1973), STRESSING HIS DEPENDENCE ON HOLMAN HUNT AND DESCRIBING HIS EARLY WORKS AS SHOWING 'PRE-RAPHAELITE ELABORATION OF MICROSCOPIC FOREGROUND FOLIAGE PUSHED TO AN ALMOST INSANE EXTREME'. WEBBE'S WORKS TEND TO BE RARE. HE SHOWED ONLY TWENTY PICTURES IN ALL AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, AND EIGHT AT THE BRITISH INSTITUTION.
THE PRESENT PICTURE WAS OBVIOUSLY INSPIRED BY WEBBE'S EXPERIENCE IN THE EAST, AND CAN BE DATED TO THE LATER 1860S. THE LARGE MASS FILLING THE BACKGROUND IS A MOTIF FOUND IN OTHER WORKS BASED ON HIS PALESTINIAN TRAVELS.