Unity Spencer, from whom acquired by Tom Lapierre Esq., Canada, circa 1980
Private Collection, Canada

The sheet has been fully laid down onto supporting fabric and has been taped into the window mount with two tabs at the reverse of the upper edge. When viewed out of the mount it is possible to see evidence of three strips of old and discoloured adhesive tape at the upper edge. There are also several creases and tears at the extreme edges of the sheet which are only visible when the work is viewed out of the mount. There are several crease across the composition, including but not limited to, a long vertical crease that runs down the right hand side of the composition, two further horizontal creases at the lower left edge of the composition and a diagonal crease in the lower left corner. There is evidence of discolouration to the sheet, with traces of surface dirt and some scattered spots of staining particularly in the lower left corner. The pigments are strong and vibrant and subject to the above the work appears to be in good overall condition. The work is presented in a window mount and ornate painted frame. Please contact the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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.
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We are grateful to Carolyn Leder for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work and preparing the below note.

The role of Hilda Carline, who became the first wife of Stanley Spencer, is of course well documented. She became and remained central to his life, despite their divorce after twelve years of marriage. The fiasco of his second marriage, to Patricia Preece, took place four days after his divorce from Hilda. He later made proposals of re-marriage to Hilda, which she refused. Stanley and Hilda were married in 1925, and divorced in 1937, but despite this she continued to play a key role in his oeuvre. He spent much of his final decade planning a series of works on Hilda in Hampstead, at the same time as he was pursuing the theme of Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta. Stanley and Hilda wrote constantly to each other and he even continued writing to her after their divorce and her subsequent death in 1950. These letters could be several hundred pages long. Indeed, he prefaced much ꦏof his🐎 writing (even when not technically a letter), with ‘Dear Hilda’.

 

Hilda and Stanley had met in the Carline family home, 47 Downshire Hill, Hampstead, in 1919.💃 He described the occasion:, ‘As she came round to me and Jas [Wood] and the rest of us with the soup, I🎶 thought how extraordinary she looked…I could feel my real self in that extraordinary person…I felt a longing for her, as at once I saw a life with her’.

 

This study was not developed further into a finished painting. It would appear to date from the 1920s, and may be notionally set in Hampstead, the place ♍of their courtship and the early days of their married life, when they were living in the Vale of Health. The background to the study, however,𓃲 is painted in general terms, rather than being topographically specific.