SIR GEORGE HAYTER (BRITISH, 1792-1871)
Three albums of drawings and watercolours, in brown morrocco leather bindings with gilt dates to the spine:
the first an album of 118 pages, containing 440 sketches with subjects including: views of Salisbury, and Winchester; numerous portraits, including of the artist's father; studies of horses; battle scenes; and a study of Salvator Mundi;
the second an album of 64 pages, containing 124 sketches with subjects including: classical figure studies and numerous portraits; studies for the portraits of Caroline, Fifth Duchess of Richmond with the Earl of March, The Hon. Caroline Norton; Lady Anne Keppel, Countess of Leicester and her son; and views of Woburn Park;
the third an album of 80 pages, containing 206 sketches with subjects including: landscape studies, figure studies, anatomical drawings and studies for the portraits of Elizabeth, Lady Stuart de Rothesay and her daughters; Ezra the Prophet; Mrs Horace Beckford and her family; The Countess of Lichfield with Viscount Anson and Lady Harriet Anson; The Ladies Jane, Caroline and Alice Gordon; and The Wife and Children of Sir John Malcolm.
i) 104 signed, 100 variously inscribed, 28 numbered and 51 variously dated from 1799 to 1812
ii) 31 signed, 26 variously inscribed and 17 variously dated from 1822 to 1824
iii) 29 signed, 64 variously inscribed, 32 variously dated from 1826 to 1830
i) 180 pencil, 35 pencil and watercolour, 72 pencil, pen and ink, and 153 pencil, pen and ink and wash, all on paper
ii) 9 pencil, 30 black pencil heightened with white, 66 pen and ink, and 12 pencil, pen and ink, 3 pen ink and wash, 4 charcoal, all on paper
iii) 75 pencil, 16 pencil, pen and ink, 45 pen and ink, 30 charcoal (some heightened with white pencil), 4 pencil and charcoal, 6 pen and ink with wash, 8 watercolour, 5 watercolour, brown wash and pen and ink, 6 white, brown and black chalk, 11 brown wash, pencil (some heighted with white pencil), all on paper, some directly on the album page
i) the album: 17¹⁄₂ x 13¹⁄₄ in. (44.3 x 33.6 cm.); the sheets: the smallest: 3 x 1³⁄₄ in. (7.5 x 4.5 cm.), the largest: 14³⁄₄ in x 10⁵⁄₈ in. (37.5 x 27 cm.)
ii) the album: 17¹⁄₂ x 13¹⁄₄ in. (44.3 x 33.6 cm.); the sheets: the smallest: 3³⁄₈ x 2³⁄₄ in. (8.6 x 7 cm.), the largest: 8⁵⁄₈ x 11¹⁄₂ in. (21.9 x 29.3 cm.)
iii) the album: 17¹⁄₂ x 13¹⁄₄ in. (44.3 x 33.6 cm.); the sheets: the smallest: 3¹⁄₄ x 3.5.8 in. (8.2 x 9.3 cm.), the largest: 11¹⁄₄ x 16³⁄₈ in. (28.6 x 41.6 cm.)

The artist, and by descent to the present owner.

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Lot Essay

This fascinating group of sketchbooks have descended in the artist’s family to the present owner and have never been seen in public before. Whilst we have described them as albums, as most of the drawings have been stuck onto the pages, a few drawings are executed directly on to the album pages, making it clear that they were put together by the artist. In some places, Hayter has added single limbs on flaps of paper, or moving pieces, in order to work out compositions or poses, giving a charming insight into his working practice.
The first album, dated from 1799-1812, offers unique insight into Hayter’s boyish curiosities, such as a Roman soldier’s life on the battlefield. It also memorialises his early attempts to capture the world around him through drawings of horses, sheep and dogs. Interestingly, sketches in this early album reflect the later work of both Hayter and his brother John Hayter (1800-1895). The younger by 8 years, it is possible that John grew-up surrounded by his brother’s sketchbooks and as a consequence developed similar curiosities – both engaging in the pursuit of similar artistic interests. An example of this is John Hayter’s Ophelia, illustrated for the book, The heroines of Shakespeare, 1850, which is strikingly similar to Hayter’s Ophelia, appearing in the first of these albums.
The second album includes dated drawings ranging from 1822-1824, a much narrower time-frame in which Hayter had completed his studies at the RA and, following his visit to Italy after being appointed Painter of Miniatures and Portraits to Princess Charlotte, had returned to London to establish himself as a portrait painter. The album demonstrates a leap in his artistic maturity as he becomes more experimental with composition – often using moving pieces to explore compositional changes – and his interests move away from battle-scenes, shifting to high society subjects and portraiture.
The last album dates from 1826-1830 and marks a pivotal point in Hayter’s career, as he travelled to Rome, Florence and Paris. His growing popularity within aristocratic circles is reflected in the third album which contains numerous composition studies of commissioned portraits for noble families.