Fine Art Including the Estate of Robert Hardy CBE (ART18A) Thu, 8th Mar 2018 Lot 460

Estimate: £300 - £500 + Fees De Morgan, Evelyn, 1855-1919 De Morgan, Evelyn, 1855-1919 Male nude playing a pipe, charcoal on paper, full-length seated male nude wearing a loin cloth, with face in profile turned to left, playing a pipe, dusty, damp-stain to upper right blank corner, very small hole above left shoulder, verso with another sketch of a full- length seated male nude, edge-frayed and with pin-holes at corners, sheet size 62 x 46cm (24.5 x 18ins), together with two other similar-sized charcoal drawings on paper of the same model, both full-length, one showing him playing a pipe in a different attitude, the other showing him reclining, both with some dust and water-soiling, and frayed at edges, lower right corner of latter with name of 'Emilie I. Barrington' and 'E. Barrington' in charcoal and pencil in the artist's hand, plus two others similar of different male models These highly accomplished drawings were executed whilst Evelyn De Morgan was a student at the Slade School of Art. Evelyn enrolled at the Slade in 1873 - one of the first three women to enrol - after spending a short time at the South Kensington National Art Training School. Study of the living model was considered of paramount importance to the education of each student at the Slade, and Evelyn's life drawings from this period demonstrate a level of skill and understanding of the human anatomy surprising for one so young. Her skilful draughtsmanship was acknowledged by numerous awards which she received during her time at the Slade, including equal first prize for drawing from life in 1875. The holds a number of similar life drawings by Evelyn. Interestingly they are in similar condition to those offered here, so it seems safe to assume that the drawings were neglected relatively early on in their existence and perhaps whilst still in the possession of the artist (who may have placed little importance on the of her student days). A forceful and highly-strung woman, Emilie Barrington was an art critic and novelist chiefly remembered for her biographies of G.F. Watts and . She was an amateur artist herself, taking drawing lessons from Arthur Hughes, and she quite determinedly assimilated herself into the artistic and literary circles of the day. It is curious that Mrs. Barrington's name appears on one of the studies offered here; there appears to be little known about her relationship with the De Morgans, although we do know that Evelyn, accompanied by the writer Violet Paget, went to lunch at Emilie Barrington's in 1883, after which they visited the studios of Watts and Leighton. Qty: 5