Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841) Watercolor Study For "The Village Politicians"

Description: Winner receives a watercolor painting by well listed UK artist Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841). The piece was realized on paper and later mounted to a board. The painting is a study for "The Village Politicians". Although unsigned, the painting has provenance on the verso reading "Study by Sir David Wilkie sold at Christie's Room Apl 15. 68. Hr 361 R" and "Bought by W. Glen(?) at the sale of W.O. Lewis, May 2, 1910". The inscriptions can be seen magnified in pictures 7-9. In addition, the painting has provenance from The Ford Foundation Collection, with the original Ford Foundation inventory label affixed to the bottom right edge of the frame. The painting is in excellent condition with no rips, tears, repairs, foxing, creasing, or in-painting. There is some mat burn around the top edge and beneath the mat, along with light toning around the top edge. The silk mat doesn't have any stains, but there are some minor ripples in the lower left quadrant. The frame doesn't have any cracks, major losses, or repairs, but does have age related wear including nicks, chips, and minor losses. The painting can be hanged as is, or the new owner may wish to re-mat and frame the piece. The frame measures roughly 21" x 18.25", with the image measuring roughly 16" x 11.25". Please note the pictures may not be as clear as we'd like due to the settings on the camera to reduce the glare. Below is some information about the artist, whose auction results include sales up to $668,843. Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have prior to bidding or making an offer. Thank you for checking out our listing. One of Scotland’s most celebrated artists, Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841) made his career painting lively scenes of everyday events and incidents. His work proved so popular at the Royal Academy’s summer exhibitions that one of his paintings was the first to have a barrier placed around it to protect it from the crowd of jostling viewers. Wilkie was born in Cults, Fife, the son of a Church of Scotland minister. He began his artistic training at Edinburgh’s Trustees Academy aged 15. One of his first paintings depicts the annual May Fair in his birthplace Pitlessie Fair. Depicting a large crowd, it showcased Wilkie’s observational skill and his interest in Dutch painting. Wilkie completed the work aged 19 and moved to London the following year, continuing his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Wilkie began exhibiting at the Summer Exhibition in 1806 and quickly became popular with the public and his fellow artists. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1809, despite being a few weeks shy of the minimum age of 24, and became a full Royal Academician two years later. One of Wilkie’s most important commissions came from the Duke of Wellington who wanted to commemorate the end of the Napoleonic Wars. As requested by the Duke himself, Chelsea Pensioners reading the Waterloo Dispatch (1822; Apsley House) depicts a group of old soldiers and others first hearing news of the Prussian and British victory over Napoleon at Waterloo. It cleverly combines the everyday sight of men at a pub with a moment of great historical significance. When it was exhibited at the 1822 Summer Exhibition, the painting proved so popular that barriers had to be put up to protect it from the crowds. In 1822, the newly crowned King George IV became the first reigning British monarch to visit Scotland in almost 200 years. His arrival at Holyrood House was captured by Wilkie in a state portrait that took almost seven years to complete. During its production, the stress of pleasing a royal patron, together with the shock of several family bereavements, caused Wilkie to suffer a nervous breakdown in 1825. To recuperate, he set off on a tour of Europe, during which he studied the work of Italian and Spanish Old Masters. Wilkie was appointed the King’s Principal Painter in Ordinary in 1830 and was knighted in 1836. His work fell out of royal favor during Queen Victoria’s, however; she declared The First Council Of Queen Victoria “one of the worst pictures I have ever seen”. In 1840, Wilkie left London to visit the Holy Land with the intention of gathering material to paint Biblical scenes. During his return voyage the following year, he became unwell after leaving Malta and died onboard a ship off the coast of Gibraltar. His passing was captured by his friend and fellow Royal Academician, JMW Turner, in Peace-Burial At Sea. All of our items have been stored in a temperature controlled environment with no pets or smoking allowed. We strive to provide a wide array of artwork, antiques, and collectibles for everyone from the casual collector to other gallery owners. Whether you are a collector or a reseller, we will always try to work with you to the best of our ability to sell you the item you are interested in. We are always adding new treasures to our collection so please feel free to make an offer, as we constantly are turning over our inventory and need to free space up for our newest finds. We will never decline or ignore an offer. We look at every offer and if we don't accept it, we will make a fair counter offer. We took a few months off of Ebay to move our inventory in to a larger space but we are now back, better than ever. Please check our 100% seller feedback to see that we describe our items accurately and take much care in packing our items so they arrive safe and fast. We always offer free shipping within the United States and also offer international shipping at very reasonable rates. If you are bidding from another country, please contact us prior to making a bid or offer so we can quote you a fair shipping cost. 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Price: 1995 USD

Location: Hudson, New York

End Time: 2025-01-22T23:00:58.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD