An🅘onymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 14 November 1990, lot 97 (bt. by the present 🅰owner)

W.G. Constable, Richard Wilson, London, 1953, p. 235

 

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in good condition, with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals scattered minor retouching in the lower and centre right of the picture, as well as in the lower left, predominantly in the darker pigments. There is also some minor infilling to craquelure in the sky, in the upper centre of the painting. FRAME Held in a gold painted, neo-classical style frame . To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@laitexier.com, or Emmeline Hallmark on 44 (0)207 293 5407, or at emmeline.hallmark@laitexier.com.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This poetic landscape is a rare example of an English view by Richard Wilson. It is a version of the painting which Wilson exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1779 (no. 354, Yale Center for British Art). Previously thought to be a view of Rosamond's Pond at the west end of St. James's, the location has now been re-identified as The Wilderness, an island in the south eastern corner of the Park designed for the breeding of wildfowl. The view is taken from within the wilderness itself, looking out across the sluice towards fashionably attired figures promenading along The Mall in the middle-distance. The combination of their richly coloured costumes and the typically Wilson-esque celestial backlighting are brought into focus by a lone child in the foreground who kneels to feed a squirrel. Stylistically this work belongs to the early 1770's when Wilson, no longer concerned with the intricate modelling of form, concentrated instead on large shapes rendered with a free pattern of brushwork. There is a chalk study for this composition in the British Museum (inv. no. 410) which, in theme and technique, bears a close resemblance to the woodland interiors and chalk landscapes of the artist Anthonie Waterloo (1609-1690). This awareness of the continental tradition is consistent with Wilson's later career and his admiration 😼and study of fellow artist's work. Gainsborough also painted similar scenes in St. James's Park (see Frick Museum), and the ruminative romance of the present pictu🌠re suggests that Wilson was tapping into this expressive and picturesque style in the last decades of his life – a move entirely consistent with changing contemporary tastes.