Study of Southampton from the river near Netley Abbey captures the romantic hours of sunset - the clouds burning pink and the sun's golden glow dancing on the water whilst bathing the sands with a warm hue. Seemingly drawn on the spot, straight onto the double pages of a sketchbook, the present drawing acted as inspiration and reference for the later oil painting of Southampton (see lot 133), commissioned by Chambers Hall who, in reference to that picture, perfectly articulates the beauty of Linnell’s sunset: ‘You have indeed realised ideas which I had long cherished of a most magnificent effect of nature […]’ (John Linnell, A Centennial Exhibition, Cambridge, 1982, p. 23). The oil refers closely to the watercolour - the motifs of the light dancing upon the water, boats sailing along the skyline and the wispy clouds obscuring the setting sun recur in both. Variation between the two resides in the addition of figures in the oil’s foreground. However, the similarity between the two remains uncanny.
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Condition report
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The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.
The sheet is not laid down but is tipped in at the edges to a supporting sheet of paper and then tabbed into an acidic mount from which we would advise removal. There is a central vertical crease as the sheet has been removed from a sketchbook. There are some paper faults to the right hand edge - some vertical lines, and a diagonal line across the lower right corner. There is some surface dirt throughout and there may have been some very slight fading to the more delicate pigments but the sheet reads well.
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Lot 135Sale 21786
Study of Southampton from the river near Netley Abbey, HampshireJOHN LINNELL (BRITISH, 1792-1882)Estimate: GBP 4,000 - 6,000
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