$18,375
School of George Chinnery (English, 1774-1852) Two Sketchbooks with Approximately Fifty-five Drawings, c. 1820-30 Unsigned. Pencil on paper, some executed on the books' laid pages, others on separate wove sheets affixed to the pages, the books measure 7 3/4 x 10 3/4 in., with marblized paper over board covers with leather bindings labeled "Sketches from Chinnery." Condition: Boards worn and one faded, with losses to corners, pages mostly good, some drawings with torn corners where the glue affixed them. Provenance: Each book inscribed with the name 'G. Hutchinson' on an early page; a Rhode Island estate. Note: The highly detailed sketches show a variety of locales including Calcutta, Serampore, England, and possibly Southern China. Subjects include sailing vessels, figures, beasts of burden, buildings including temples, and scenes of everyday life. One of the later sketches (dated 1827) shows a building with a sign reading "The Tandridge Oxted and Godstone Schools, in Union with National Society," and another drawing is titled "Marden Park," referring to a country estate in Surrey, England, currently the home of the Woldingham School. Literature: Carl Crossman writes in Decorative Arts of the China Trade, "Chinnery had studied under Sir Joshua Reynolds, and developed a swift, confident style of brushwork and a drawing technique which is seen only in the hand of a major academic artist." (pub. England, 1991, p. 72)
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2011-11-05
