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LOWELL LIBSON LTD BRITISH WATERCOLOURS AUTUMN 2014 British Watercolours 11–21 November 2014 LOWELL LIBSON LTD 3 Clifford Street · Londonw1s 2lf Telephone: +44 (0)20 7734 8686 Fax: +44 (0)20 7734 9997 Email: [email protected] Website: www.lowell-libson.com British Watercolours 2014 Index of Artists References are to page, not catalogue, numbers All the works in the catalogue are for sale George Barret 16 John Linnell 71–74 and are sold mounted and framed. Charles Richard Bone 76 John Martin 80, 81 All works will be for sale prior to the opening of the exhibition. William Callow 88, 89 James Miller 10 John Sell Cotman 58 Jacob Moore 14 During this exhibition our opening times David Cox 64 Algernon Cecil Newton 92 will be: Monday to Friday 10am–5pm; Joshua Cristall 56, 57 Saturday 15 November 10am–4pm William Payne 34 Nathaniel Dance 46 Nicholas Pocock 36 Edward Dayes 27, 28 Please contact us for further details. Samuel Prout 68 Heneage Finch 60 Lowell Libson Reeves & Inwood 48 [email protected] Albert Goodwin 90 George Fennel Robson 66 Jonny Yarker Sir George Hayter 62 [email protected] Thomas Rowlandson 38–42 Thomas Hearne 31, 32 Deborah Greenhalgh Paul Sandby 30 Robert Hills 54 [email protected] James Holland 87 John ‘Warwick’ Smith 22–26 John Hoppner 44 Thomas Sunderland 18, 20 William Henry Hunt 70, 78 Cornelius Varley 50, 52 Edward Lear 84, 86 James Ward 82 LOWELL LIBSON LTD John Frederick Lewis 77 Francis Wheatley 12 3 Clifford Street · Londonw1s 2lf Telephone: +44 (0)20 7734 8686 Fax: +44 (0)20 7734 9997 Email: [email protected] Website: www.lowell-libson.com Collecting British Watercolours Whilst it is acknowledged that one of the (who were later to become delightful friends greatest contributions that the British have to me). Watercolours could be acquired made to the visual arts is in the development at auction in central London on virtually of an emotional response to landscape – a weekly basis and there was a strong and especially in the medium of watercolour – it extensive network of dealers in London and is noticeable that there has been something throughout the country who supported the of a decline in appreciation of these pictures market and engaged closely with collectors. themselves. This situation is singular given The golden days when Sir Hickman Bacon the unprecedented growth of scholarship and was collecting large groups of Turners understanding of the works of eighteenth and Cotmans, Oppé could find bundles of and nineteenth-century watercolourists in previously unknown masterworks in the terms of their historical and social, as well as Charing Cross Road and Sir Bruce Ingram art historical, significance over the last two would buy a drawing every evening on his decades. In the current bullish art market way back from the office had long gone. ‘Golden Age’ watercolour values are in But there were plenty of opportunities to somewhat of a slump. form and refine collections irrespective of As a dealer and collector I am constantly personal taste or interests and regardless fascinated by the cyclical nature of fashion, of financial constraints. Looking back at taste and economics on the dynamics of the old catalogues it appears that the market market place. I purchased my first watercol- changed in the late 1960s, until then a large our – a head by Herkomer now owned by my Miles Birket Foster could easily be worth daughter – at the age of fourteen or fifteen as much as a fine watercolour by Turner for £3 or £4 and was regularly handling and 1,200 or 1,500 guineas would buy either, them on a professional basis from the age of whilst much of real distinction could be nineteen. It makes, however, for an interest- acquired for a few hundred pounds. A more ing middle term overview on the fortunes of sophisticated approach, undeniably fuelled this particular sector of the art market. by Paul Mellon’s powerful influence both on In the mid 1970s and early 1980s there the commercial market through his extensive was a large and regular supply of relatively purchases and academic interest fostered cheaply priced watercolours of varying by his London based foundation which quality, interest, importance and condition; underpinned new research in a field that had there was, in fact, something for everyone. previously been dominated by amateurs, The photograph we illustrate overleaf shows made a real difference. Iolo Williams’s useful a sale at Sotheby’s hung floor to ceiling with Early English Watercolours was published in middling works being viewed by two typical 1952 (reprinted in 1970) and Marin Hardie and enthusiasts, modest but discerning collectors Dudley Snelgrove’s magisterial Water-colour 6 7 Painting in Britain was first published in 1966 most notable of them were exhibited with In my opinion classic British watercolours (with a second edition in 1967, reprinted in what was considered to be a pioneering and of the eighteenth and early nineteenth 1969 and 1975). Huon Mallalieu’s indispen- wildly extravagant 112 page catalogue. The centuries have never offered a better collecting sible Dictionary of English Watercolour Artists ten Turner watercolours all rapidly found opportunity than they do now and we have followed these in 1976. All three publications new homes with ten established Turner been at pains to include works with a wide were vital to an inexperienced cataloguer buyers. Whilst they are by and large now range of values to an upper level of about like myself, trying to find or test attributions. worth considerably more than they were in £20,000. Whilst a generation or two ago Good watercolours were becoming more the 1980s, many of the works included in the quantity was considered to be something of expensive and this encouraged collectors to be exhibition would have recently struggled to an advantage within collections that often more discerning whilst advances in printing find a buyer at any level approaching their aimed to achieve a comprehensive over- technology and increasing values encouraged 1980s value. These pictures are no better or view, one can now aim for a more focussed dealers to include illustrations in catalogues worse than they were twenty-five years ago, it approach. There is now a viable apparatus of and consequently the wider availability of is only the demand that has changed. An inter- scholarship and research material available, information made for more carefully qualified esting example being the fine early William something that was not easily accessible even decisions in all quarters. A more sophisticated Callow of Lyon which Fitch purchased from twenty years ago. One can therefore now market was emerging. I well remember a Leger in 1979 for £6,500 and by 1988 this was easily make a fully considered assessment respected watercolour dealer complaining a watercolour which one could have sold for of the merits of a particular work within an that the combined list price of Leger’s sell-out well over £20,000. The Callow appeared in a artist’s oeuvre and the preservation of these Rowlandson exhibition in February 1981 was sale this summer with a sensible estimate of relatively fragile works of art for the future more than his entire yearly turnover. Annual £6,000 to £8,000 and achieved a healthy price is now fully understood and achievable with watercolour exhibitions met with, depending of £15,000; overall a result which appeared to the use of readily available conservation grade on the house style, queues on opening morn- be a correct recalibration. materials. More importantly, fine, beautiful ing or crowded private views and resulted This catalogue is the first that we have and interesting works are available at what in prolific sales. There tended to be multiple devoted entirely to British watercolours since I consider to be really tempting levels. Take buyers for the majority of the more conven- 2005. It includes a number of works that have the plunge: either fill in the gaps in an existing tional and easily classifiable works on offer been sitting on our shelves for some time, group or even start a collection. and, from Absalon to Ziegler, decisiveness and either because they were included in earlier Lowell Libson speed of decision was often of the essence. catalogues and were unsold or because we Leger’s purchase of Marc Fitch’s extensive have purchased (or repurchased) them over watercolour collection in 1987 – possibly the last few years and have not found a viable about the high point of the traditional way of presenting them within the narrower market for traditional watercolours – makes context in which we now tend to operate. The an interesting case. The acquisition of the fact that we have not been visibly functioning better part of two hundred watercolours and as old fashioned watercolour dealers has not A routine watercolour sale drawings helped fuel Leger’s watercolour necessarily meant that we are not interested in at Sotheby’s in 1976 business for a couple of years and in 1988 the these works or the market. 9 1 JAMES MILLER 1773–1814 The Elephant and Castle with St Pauls beyond Gouache on vellum This charming gouache view is part of distance, Miller’s characteristic interest in the 7 x 12 inches; 178 x 305 mm a small group of characteristic works incidental detail of London life means that the ColleCtions by the accomplished but little known scene is animated with beggars, a coach arriv- With Martyn Gregory; topographical draughtsman James Miller. ing at the Inn, a woman trying to herd sheep Judy Egerton, 1984; Miller probably worked with Paul Sandby pursued by a barking dog and the Inn itself By descent to 2014.