Il lotto Lotto n° 127
Titolo : Thomas Baines (1820-1875) The Victoria Falls, Zambesi River, From The South West
Medium : oil on canvas Dimensione : 45.4 x 66.4cm
17 7/8 x 26 1/8inProvenienza : The inscription on the reverse reads: 'The VICTORIA FALLS. ZAMBEZI RIVER / From the South West / Showing part of the broad upper River - the spray cloud / rising from the Chasm and the singularly zigzag / course of the deep narrow fissure through which / the lower river flows. It will be noticed that / above the falls where the water is level with the surface / palms &c abound but below it. Aloes Mopani / & thorns supply their place. / July 23rd 1862 / Painted in Otjimbingue / Nov 23 1863 / TBAINES / PRESENTED to Mr & Mrs C.J.ANDERSSON / by their sincere friend / the Artist'
Gifted by the artist to Mr & Mrs C.J. Andersson, thence by descent to the current owner.
The coincidence of The Victoria Falls from the South West by Thomas Baines entering the public domain at the same time as his 1866 Tete painting enables further discussion of the artist's tropical African narratives and their meanings. The Falls work provides more evidence of how Baines's liberation from his illustrator- artist role on official expeditions stimulated his creativity. Free to determine and construct the content of his oil paintings he stakes a claim to be a British artist mindful of Victorian viewers who enjoyed dramatic pictorial story-telling.
Back in Cape Town in 1860 after his dismissal by Livingstone from the Zambesi expedition Baines renewed a friendship with trader-explorer James Chapman. They decided to cross Africa from west to east, commencing at Walvis Bay and following the Zambesi to its Mozambique mouth. Baines hoped to encounter David Livingstone and clear his tarnished reputation but more importantly he wanted to visit the Falls and paint the scenery to generate income.
Chapman left Walvis Bay before Baines who set out on foot with his wagon in May 1861. A week later he met the experienced Anglo-Swedish explorer, Charles Andersson, in Otjimbingwe at his profitable trading station. He joined Chapman in July and they proceeded east round Lake Ngami. Travel was difficult, the local populations and rival chiefs proved uncooperative, and their porters and wagon drivers were unreliable. Baines, Chapman, and Edward Barry proceeded into the hot Zambesi valley and on 23rd July 1862 they saw the spray cloud of the Falls which were still a mile away. They remained at the Falls for nearly three weeks where Baines explored the Mosi-oa-tunya Falls from all angles, made many calculations to map the river and gorges, and sketched continuously under difficult circumstances. Both explorers published accounts of their travels (Baines's was edited by his redoubtable mother without his approval) and he wrote a text to accompany his published portfolio of lithographs (1865). Baines described his first sight of the Falls at length, stating that it was soon after sunrise,
'when Barry discovered the smoke, and seeking a little opening in the trees, we saw the water of the broad Zambesi glancing like a mirror beyond a long perspective of hill and valley, while from below it clouds of spray and mist nearly a mile in extent rose out of the chasm into which the water fell. The central five or six of these clouds or columns were the largest, but in all we counted ten rising more like the spray thrown up by a cannon ball than in a strictly columnar form. ... the deep valley before us, widening for six miles between us and the falls, showed every form of rough brown rock, and every tint of green or autumnal foliage, presenting to the eye, long wearied of sere and yellow mopanie leaves, dry rocks, burnt grass, and desolated country, the most lovely and refreshing coup d'oeil the soul of an artist could imagine' (Baines 1973: 483).
This profusely adjectival description evoking his romantic instincts and delight in the spectacle of vast natural space, ...Condition report : The canvas has been examined out of its glazed frame and the backing board removed.
The canvas has not been lined.
There is characteristic craquelure visible through much of the work and there are stretcher marks visible in the upper half of the composition, all of which appears stable. There are two lines of paint separation in the lower right corner, just above the framing edge.
There are old pin holes to each of the corners with some associated paint loss.
There is rubbing to framing edges with further rubbing along the extreme edges, not visible when framed.
There are a couple of indentations along the top of the stretcher (one far left and a smaller one far right) which is due to the irregular surface of the stretcher the artist used.
There appears to be a slightly discoloured varnish layer and there are spots of surface dirt throughout.
UV light reveals a diagonal band of retouching in the upper right corner that has discoloured slightly and is visible to the naked eye, but there does not appear to be any further evidence of restorations. There are some small spots that fluoresce within the foreground, which may be due to a dirty and uneven varnish layer.Bonhams, banditore, London, UK
🔓Senza carta di credito.
Titolo di vendita : Travel & Exploration Sale
Data della vendita : 08/06/2023
🔓Senza carta di credito.
Riferimento dell'asta : Live Sale
