Villefranche
Villefranche
Villefranche, FranceInscribed twice lower left: Villefranche./10.am./15. January 1865, numbered 35 lower right, variously inscribed with colour notes and inscribed verso: 11./Upright/LowestPen and grey ink and watercolour over pencil heightened with touches of bodycolour on buff paper22.1 by 32.1 cm., 8 ½ by 11 ½ in.Lear spent the winter of 1864-65 in Nice. He had spent the three previous winters on Corfu which was under British rule at the time, but in May 1864 the island was handed back to Greece and Lear left. He spent most of December walking in Italy before returning to Nice on New Year's Eve. The present drawing dates to the morning of 15th January when Lear records in his diary: `I rose at 6 - & at 7 exactly I set out - it is too blessed to get out of this swell doghole once a week. Glorious bright morning: up, by the Port, to Col. Smith's - & to Villefranche - which I drew till 10 (I got there are 8.20.).' This drawing is numbered 35 - no. 34, which was drawn on the same day between 8 and 9.30am, and shows the same view was sold at Sotheby's on 11th April 1991, lot 85.){kind=link}
Edward Lear (1812-1888)
Villefranche, France
Inscribed twice lower left: Villefranche./10.am./15. January 1865, numbered 35 lower right, variously inscribed with colour notes and inscribed verso: 11./Upright/Lowest
Pen and grey ink and watercolour over pencil heightened with touches of bodycolour on buff paper
22.1 by 32.1 cm., 8 ½ by 11 ½ in.
Lear spent the winter of 1864-65 in Nice. He had spent the three previous winters on Corfu which was under British rule at the time, but in May 1864 the island was handed back to Greece and Lear left. He spent most of December walking in Italy before returning to Nice on New Year's Eve. The present drawing dates to the morning of 15th January when Lear records in his diary: `I rose at 6 - & at 7 exactly I set out - it is too blessed to get out of this swell doghole once a week. Glorious bright morning: up, by the Port, to Col. Smith's - & to Villefranche - which I drew till 10 (I got there are 8.20.).' This drawing is numbered 35 - no. 34, which was drawn on the same day between 8 and 9.30am, and shows the same view was sold at Sotheby's on 11th April 1991, lot 85.