LEAR, Edward (British, 1812-1888). Two Peacocks. Watercolor on paper. ca. 1830. 6 3/4" x 9" sheet, 17 3/4" x 15 3/4" framed. Lear was already drawing “for bread and cheese” by the time he was aged sixteen and soon developed into a serious “ornithological draughtsman” employed by the Zoological Society and then from 1832 to 1836 by the Earl of Derby, who kept a private menagerie at his estate, Knowsley Hall. He was the first major bird artist to draw birds from real live birds, instead of skins. Lear’s first publication, published when he was nineteen years old, was Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots in 1830. One of the greatest ornithological artists of his era, he taught Elizabeth Gould while also contributing to John Gould’s works and was compared favorably with John James Audubon. Unfortunately his eyesight deteriorated too much to work with such precision on fine drawings and lithographic stones, thus he turned to landscape painting and travel.
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
EDWARD LEAR (BRITISH, 1812-1888) Suda bay, Crete signé des initiales en bas à droite et titré ' Suda Bay Crete' en bas à gauche aquarelle sur papier 17,5 x 36,8 cm. (6 7/8 x 14 1/2in.) signed with the initials lower right and titled ' Suda Bay Crete' lower left watercolour on paper
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
Lear (Edward) Journals of a Landscape Painter in Albania, Ilyria, &c., second edition, tinted lithographs, previous owner's ink inscription to front free endpaper, cracked upper hinges, original cloth, rubbed, bumping to corners and extremities, bookplate, 1852 § Elphinstone (Hon. Mountstuart) An Account of the Kingdom of Caubil, and its Dependencies, 2 vol., second edition, 14 hand-coloured plates, one folding lithograph, 2 folding maps, one with short split to foldlines, scattered spotting, vol. 1 upper hinge broken, later half-calf, rebacked retaining original backstrip, rubbed, 1819 § Arundell (Rev. V. J.) A Visit to the Seven Churches of Asia, folding map frontispiece, 16 plates at end, some folding, scattered faint spotting, modern cloth, 1828; and others similar, v.s. (28)
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
Edward Lear (British, 1812-1888) Agia Paraskevi, 1857 pen and brown ink and watercolor over traces of pencil on paper inscribed lower left Agia Paraskevi / 13 April 1857 / 11 1/2 AM (lower left); further inscribed with Artist's notes 13 3/4 x 19 1/2 in. (34.9 x 49.5 cm.) This lot is located in Philadelphia.
(English, 1812-1888) Pencil and brown ink on paper, inscribed "sand" lc, and illegibly lc, dated 22 January 1849 lr, marked (100) lr, stamped on matte "Edward Lear, 1818-1888," sight size: 13 1/2 x 6 1/2 in., framed size: 13 x 20 in.
Edward Lear (English, 1812-1888) Southern Italian (?) view Watercolour and pencil on paper Accompanied by an invoice and letter detailing the original provenance. Provenance: Colonel 'X', whose grandfather knew and travelled with Lear; Stewart Acton & Sons; Private Collection, UK, purchased from the above Dimenions: (Frame) 10.5 in. (H) x 22 in. (W) (Paper) 6 in. (H) x 13.5 in. (W)
Edward Lear Desert of Sinai watercolor on paper 4 h x 8 w in (10 x 20 cm) Signed to lower left 'E'. Provenance: The Drawing Room, Princeton, NJ | Estate of Alfred Bush, former Curator of Western Americana, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.
This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
Included in this lot: Ash-coloured Harrier Black-winged Kite Bearded Vulture or Loemmer Geyer Description of the work: This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
Included in this lot: Long-legged Plover Bastard or Grey Plover Keptuschka Lapwing Spur-winged Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Description of the work: This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of Europe. The work was published in London between 1832 and 1837. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. The majority of this work is believed to have been drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould. It was also the first time Gould employed the masterful Edward Lear. "There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography, and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that granted the fabled works of Gould their success, and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree). Of Lear's lithographs: "they are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, … it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm." (Hyman)
Birds.- Lear (Edward) Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidæ or Parrots, one of 530 numbered copies, colour plates, some faint soiling to title, a few small stains to fore-edge, some light spotting at beginning and end, very slight marginal toning, original half morocco, rubbing to spine and corners, 1978 § Harrison (J. C.) and David Evans. The Birds of Prey of the British Islands, one of 275 numbered copies signed by the illustrator, 20 tipped-in mounted colour plates, first plate very slightly offset, some light foxing, mainly to plates, original half morocco, a few light marks to upper cover, spine slightly faded and with some staining, housed in a cloth slipcase (light soiling), Kingston Deverill, 1980, list of subscribers, t.e.g.; and Stuart Baker's Game-Birds of India, Burma and Ceylon, 8vo & folio (5)
Edward Lear British, (1812 - 1888) illustrations from the Book of Nonsense, 1862 2 lithographs From the private collection of Bret Waller and Mary Lou Dooley Waller, Indianapolis, Indiana. Biography from the Archives of askART: Edward Lear (12 May 1812 - 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he popularized. Lear was born into a middle-class family in the village of Holloway, the 21st child of Ann and Jeremiah Lear. He was raised by his eldest sister, also named Ann, 21 years his senior. A nn doted on Lear and continued to mother him until her death, when Lear was almost 50 years of age. Due to the family's failing financial fortune, at age four he and his sister had to leave the family home and set up house together. Lear suffered from health problems. From the age of six he suffered frequent grand mal epileptic seizures, and bronchitis, asthma, and in later life, partial blindness. Lear experienced his first seizure at a fair near Highgate with his father. The event scared and embarrassed him. Lear felt lifelong guilt and shame for his epileptic condition. His adult diaries indicate that he always sensed the onset of a seizure in time to remove himself from public view. How Lear was able to anticipate them is not known, but many people with epilepsy report a ringing in their ears or an "aura" before the onset of a seizure. In Lear's time epilepsy was believed to be associated with demonic possession, which contributed to his feelings of guilt and loneliness. When Lear was about seven, he began to show signs of depression, possibly due to the constant instability of his childhood. He suffered from periods of severe depression which he referred to as "the Morbids." Lear traveled widely throughout his life and eventually settled in Sanremo, on his beloved Mediterranean coast, in the 1870s, at a villa he named "Villa Tennyson." The closest he came to marriage was two proposals, both to the same woman 46 years his junior, which were not accepted. For companions he relied instead on a circle of friends and correspondents, and especially, in later life, on his Suliot chef, Giorgis, a faithful friend and, as Lear complained, a thoroughly unsatisfactory chef. Another trusted companion in Sanremo was his cat, Foss, who died in 1886 and was buried with some ceremony in a garden at Villa Tennyson. After a long decline in his health, Lear died at his villa in 1888, of the heart disease from which he had suffered since at least 1870. Lear's funeral was said to be a sad, lonely affair by the wife of Dr. Hassall, Lear's physician, not one of Lear's many lifelong friends being able to attend. Lear is buried in the Foce Cemetery in Sanremo. On his headstone are inscribed these lines from Tennyson's To E.L. [Edward Lear], On His Travels in Greece: ... all things fair.? With such a pencil, such a pen.? You shadow forth to distant men,? I read and felt that I was there. Edward Lear was known to introduce himself with his long name: "Mr Abebika kratoponoko Prizzikalo Kattefello Ablegorabalus Ableborinto phashyph" or "Chakonoton the Cozovex Dossi Fossi Sini Tomentilla Coronilla Polentilla Battledore & Shuttlecock Derry down Derry Dumps" which he based on Aldiborontiphoskyphorniostikos. Lear was already drawing "for bread and cheese" by the time he was aged 16 and soon developed into a serious "ornithological draughtsman" employed by the Zoological Society and then from 1832-36 by the Earl of Derby, who had a private menagerie. His first publication, published when he was 19, was Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots in 1830. His paintings were well received and he was favourably compared with John James Audubon. Lear travelled for three years in Italy from 1837, and published two volumes of illustrations, Illustrated Excursions in Italy, the first of many such books. Lear briefly gave drawing lessons to Queen Victoria, who had been pleased by the Excursions and summoned him to Court, leading to some awkward incidents when he failed to observe proper court protocol. Lear then returned to the Mediterranean, wishing to illustrate all points along the coast of that sea. Among other trips, he visited Greece and Egypt in 1848-49, and toured the length of India and Ceylon in 1873-75. While traveling he produced large quantities of coloured wash drawings in a distinctive style, which he worked up back in his studio into oils and watercolours, as well as prints for his books. His landscape style often shows views with strong sunlight, with intense contrasts of colour. Throughout his life he continued to paint seriously. He had a lifelong ambition to illustrate Tennyson's poems; near the end of his life a volume with a small number of illustrations was published, but his vision for the work was never realized. In 1846 Lear published A Book of Nonsense, a volume of limericks that went through three editions and helped popularize the form. In 1865, The History of the Seven Families of the Lake Pipple-Popple was published, and in 1867 his most famous piece of nonsense, The Owl and the Pussycat, which he wrote for the children of his patron Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Many other works followed. Lear's nonsense books were quite popular during his lifetime, but a rumor circulated that "Edward Lear" was merely a pseudonym, and the books' true author was the man to whom Lear had dedicated the works, his patron the Earl of Derby. Supporters of this rumor offered as evidence the facts that both men were named Edward, and that "Lear" is an anagram of "Earl". Lear's nonsense works are distinguished by a facility of verbal invention and a poet's delight in the sounds of words, both real and imaginary. A stuffed rhinoceros becomes a "diaphanous doorscraper." A "blue Boss-Woss" plunges into "a perpendicular, spicular, orbicular, quadrangular, circular depth of soft mud". His heroes are Quangle-Wangles, Pobbles, and Jumblies. His most famous piece of verbal invention, a "runcible spoon" occurs in the closing lines of The Owl and the Pussycat, and is now found in many English dictionaries: "They dined on mince, and slices of quince? Which they ate with a runcible spoon;? And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,? They danced by the light of the moon,? The moon,? The moon,? They danced by the light of the moon." Five of Lear's limericks from The Book of Nonsense, in the 1946 Italian translation by Carlo Izzo, were set to music for choir a cappella by Goffredo Petrassi, in 1952.
EDWARD LEAR (BRITISH 1812-1888) MOUNT GENEROSA, BELLA VISTA - 1881 Signed, inscribed with title and dated ‘5.30pm, 9 Sept 1881,’ pencil, pen and brown ink 9.5cm x 17cm (3.75in x 6.75in)
(English, 1812-1888) Pencil and brown ink on paper, inscribed "sand" lc, and illegibly lc, dated 22 January 1849 lr, marked (100) lr, stamped on matte "Edward Lear, 1818-1888," sight size: 13 1/2 x 6 1/2 in., framed size: 13 x 20 in.
LEAR, Edward (1812-188). Assiut on Nile, Egypt. Pen and brown ink and watercolor. Inscribed with artist’s colour notes 5 3/8" x 12 3/8" sheet, 13" x 19 1/2" framed. Provenance: London, Bonham's, 8 June 2004, lot 58; with James Mackinnon; Guy Peppiatt. Having initially travelled to Egypt in 1849, Lear conducted two further trips to that country, firstly during the winter of 1853-4 and then again between December and March of 1866-7. On both of these later trips he explored the great river Nile. The town of Assiut is on the western shore of the Nile, approximately halfway between Cairo and Luxor.
LEAR, Edward (1812-1888). 1. Pigeon Parrakeet. 2. Uniform Parrakeet. Pair of Lithographs with original hand color. From Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots. London: Edward Lear, 1830-1832. Approx. 14 1/2" x 21 1/2" sheet, each. Lear’s publication was innovative in several significant ways. Unlike previous bird artists, he drew whenever possible from life rather than stuffed specimens, thus combining anatomical accuracy and subtlety of detail with the pose and expression of the living, moving bird. Lear also employed the relatively new medium of lithography which, by dispensing with the need for professional engravers, allowed him to retain complete artistic control over all stages of his work.
LEAR, Edward (1812-1888). Indian Partridge. Watercolor on paper. Signed lower left "E. Lear" & titled lower right in pencil. 7 5/8" x 5 3/4" sheet. Edward Lear (1818-1888) is fondly remembered for his books of nonsense and for popularizing the limerick, but he was also a prolific watercolorist, who as a young man earned his livelihood and achieved recognition as an illustrator of birds and animals. Unlike previous bird artists, he drew whenever possible from life rather than stuffed specimens, thus combining anatomical accuracy and subtlety of detail with the pose and expression of the living, moving bird.
Edward Lear (British, 1812 - 1888) Villa view Watercolour and pencil on paper Signed and dated 'April 1843' bottom right Dimensions: (Paper) 5.5 in. (H) x 10 in. (W)
After Edward Lear (English, 1812-1888) Palaeornis Rosaceus, [Roseate Parakeet], hand coloured lithograph on wove paper, drawn and lithographed by Edward Lear, printed by Charles Hullmandel framed, 45.7 x 33cm. *Originally from Edward Lear's first published work 'Illustrations of the Family Psittacidae, or Parrots', 1830-32.
EDWARD LEAR (BRITISH 1812-1888) MONTE GENEROSO Signed, inscribed and dated ‘19 July, 1878, 4.50pm’, pencil and pen and ink 9cm x 15cm (3.5in x 6in) The Rt. Hon The Lord Clwyd
EDWARD LEAR (BRITISH 1812-1888) NEAR LENTINI, SICILY Inscribed, pen and ink, unframed,and four further watercolours by, or attributed to, W. Havell, P. de Wint and D. Cox (5) 30.5cm x 43cm (12in x 17in), sheet size The Rt. Hon. The Lord Clwyd
EDWARD LEAR (BRITISH 1812-1888) TIVOLI Signed, inscribed and dated 1839, pencil heightened with white on blue/grey paper 22.5cm x 33cm (8.75in x 13in) The Rt. Hon. The Lord Clwyd
Edward Lear (British, 1812-1888), "The Parrots: The Complete Plates 1830-1832", Hand Colored Lithographs on Paper, published by Taschen, in hard sleeve with descriptive booklet and all 42 plates. Sheets: 19.25" H x 13" W; sleeve: 20" H x 13. 5" W. Provenance: From a New York City Collection. Keywords: Fine Art, Reproductions, Die Papageien, Les Perroquets, Natural History, Animalier, Prints, Works on Paper, Birds
LARGE TOUCAN PRINT, FRAMED "Ramphastos Toto", 1833, after Edward Lear, (UK/Italy, 1812-1888), hand colored litho, signed and dated in print lower left, in black ogee frame, matted under glass, OS: 32" x 24 1/2", SS: 20" x 13".
Edward Lear, English, 1812 to 1888, a Romanticism oil on canvas painting depicting a River Landscape. Housed in an original period gilt wood and gesso frame with carved scrolled foliage motifs and bearing a metal name plate below. Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he popularized.
Birds.- Lear (Edward) Illustrations of Birds drawn for John Gould, one of 780 copies signed by David Attenborough, who wrote the introduction, 81 colour plates, original dark blue morocco, gilt, by Smith Settle, with an additional plate of the Eagle Owl loose in envelope, together housed within original cloth drop-back box, folio, Folio Society, 2012.
Edward Lear (British, 1812-1888) Great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), from The Birds of Europe, 1832-1837 hand colored lithograph on wove paper Edward Lear; John Gould (1804-1881) The Pelican is plate # 405 from Gould's The Birds of Europe privately printed and published by he and his wife through a monthly subscription from 1832-1837. Signed in plate.
Property from the Estate of Martin R. Davies, Bristol Edward Lear British 1812 - 1888 "And I will See, Before I Die, The Palms and Temples of the South" signed with initials EL lower right oil on canvas Unframed: 48.5 by 75.5cm., 19 by 29¾in. Framed: 63 by 89.8cm., 24¾ by 35¼in.
EDWARD LEAR (LONDON 1812-1888 SAN REMO). A distant view of Corfu from Viros. pencil, watercolour and bodycolour on buff coloured paper 7 x 9 7⁄8 in. (17.5 x 25 cm.).
EDWARD LEAR (LONDON 1812-1888 SAN REMO). Amalfi, Italy. pencil, pen and brown ink and watercolour, heightened with bodcolour on paper 4 ½ x 6 in. (11.4 x 15.5 cm.).
EDWARD LEAR (LONDON 1812-1888 SAN REMO). A distant view of the Castel Sant' Angelo, Corfú. pencil, watercolour and bodycolour on buff coloured paper 6 ½ x 10 1⁄8 in. (16.5 x 25.8 cm.).
EDWARD LEAR (LONDON 1812-1888 SAN REMO). A view of the city of Hebron with camels and figures in the foreground. pencil, pen and brown ink and watercolour, heightened with touches of bodycolour on blue/grey paper 6 x 9 1⁄8 in. (15.3 x 23.2 cm.).
EDWARD LEAR (LONDON 1812-1888 SAN REMO). Wadi Halfa, Sudan. pencil, pen and brown ink and watercolour, heightened with touches of white on buff coloured paper 11 ¾ x 20 7⁄8 in. (30 x 53 cm.).
Edward Lear (London 1812 - 1888 San Remo) Wadi Tayibeh, Egypt Pen and brown ink and watercolour over traces of pencil; inscribed lower left: Wady [sic] Tayibeh / 1 - past 4 P.M.., dated three times lower right: January 20. 1849.., and further inscribed with artist's notes 140 by 225 mm
Edward Lear (London 1812 - 1888 San Remo) View of Philae at Sunset, Egypt Watercolour over pencil, heightened with touches of white and gum arabic; signed with the artist's monogram and dated lower left: 1854 / 1862 175 by 248 mm
Edward Lear (1812-1888), Middle Eastern landscape, watercolour, pen and ink, 9 cm x 25 cm, framed and glazed 24.5 cm x 41 .cm Moore-Gwyn Fine Art Limited label verso
Edward Lear (British, 1812-1888) Finale, Italy titled 'Finale' lower left and dated '17. December 1864 11.15 A.M' numbered '56' lower right and variously inscribed with colour notes to the cliff watercolour and ink with white heightening 23 x 34cm Provenance: Acquired in 1938 by Sir Maurice Amos (the grandfather of the present vendor), His sister-in-law, Margaret Bushell (daughter of Colonel Sir Colin Campbell Scott-Moncrieff), Doctor Rachel Bromwich (née Amos, the present vendor's mother), Thence by descent A view of Finale from a similar viewpoint, made on the same day half an hour earlier, was previously sold at Cheffins (11th March 2020, Lot 45). Lear notes in his diary on this day: 'At 9 ― went up to the Ponte or Gallery to draw, & G. passed me at 9.30. A very grand coast scene: drew till 12. Morning fine, & weather cold ― apparently more settled.'
Edward Lear (British, 1812-1888) View on Mount Lebanon, possibly Mount Sannine titled 'Lebanon' lower left and dated '18 May 1858', numbered '176' lower left inscribed throughout with colour annotations watercolour and pencil with white heightening 33 x 47.5cm Provenance: Acquired in 1938 by Sir Maurice Amos (the grandfather of the present vendor), His sister-in-law, Margaret Bushell (daughter of Colonel Sir Colin Campbell Scott-Moncrieff), Doctor Rachel Bromwich (née Amos, the present vendor's mother), Thence by descent In the Spring of 1858, on his way to visiting Petra, Edward Lear travelled through Syria, Palestine and Lebanon - his only visit to the country. After two months in Palestine, Lear arrived in Beirut and wrote to his sister Ann on 14th May: ‘This place...is quite different from anything in southern Palestine – & reminds me more of Naples by its numerous villas & gardens...today I shall make a drawing of Mt. Lebanon [in the distance], & the Bay & town – which are really lovely as a whole.' Two days before the date of this study, Lear wrote in his diary: 'Rose late. Very high wind. mountains invisible. In dressing ― without my glasses, took hold of a hornet, which stung my right hand’s middle finger very badly indeed. Happily, [Nartolion] relieved it, but I was unfit for 4 hours ― & could not move my hand or arm. At breakfast Dr. & Mrs. K. ― Afterwards ― later: packed for the Lebanon, ― leaving a chest, & 2 lots of things here. Letters came for Hasbey from Col. Churchill.' Given Lear was already in Beirut at this time, it is likely that 'packed for the Lebanon' reflects his intention to visit the mountain range itself, where he subsequently made the present picture.
LEAR, Edward (1812-1888). Ye Owly Pusseycatte, a new Beast found in ye Island of New South Wales. Watercolor on laid paper. Inscribed with title lower left. 5 1/4" x 3 1/2" sheet; 12 1/8" x 10" framed. Provenance: George and Fanny Coombe (nee Drewitt), Peppering House, Sussex. The illustration for the most famous of all English nursery rhymes. This is likely to be the earliest drawing in which Lear combines the Owl and the Pussycat, assuming it also dates to the mid 1840s. He is perched on a branch smoking a churchwarden pipe and wearing a settler's wide-awake hat with two peacock feathers attached and a smiling moon beyond. The mention of New South Wales suggests this drawing dates to a similar period as an undated pen and ink drawing in the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York entitled `Portraites of the inditchenous beestes of New Olland' which Vivien Noakes suggests was inspired by John Gould's visit to Australia in 1838 to work on Birds of Australia (see Vivien Noakes, Edward Lear 1812-1888, exhibition catalogue, 1986, p.180, no.90). New Holland was the historical name for Australia. The Drewitt family were childhood friends of Lear living at Peppering House near Arundel, Sussex. Lear's sister Sarah married Charles Street in 1822 and moved to near Arundel so Lear was a frequent visitor to the area. Fanny Drewitt married George Coombe probably in 1831 and they lived at Peppering House. A group of letters from Lear to the Coombes were rediscovered in the 1990s and were at Christies' on June 29, 1995. They are now in the Frederick Warne Archive. They provide a useful early record of Lear's life and movements.
LEAR, Edward (1812-1888). Study of an Eagle Owl, 1846. Pen and brown ink on paper. Signed and dated on branch: "E. Lear del. 1846". 8 3/4" x 6 1/2" sheet; 13 7/8" x 11 3/4" framed. Provenance: George and Fanny Coombe (nee Drewitt), Peppering House, Sussex. Lear's biographer Vivien Noakes has noted that Lear "was at his best when drawing majestic, unpretty birds like ravens and owls; he endowed them with sagacious personalities, and it is tempting to wonder if Lear found a common bond with birds, for they too were at the mercy of unscrupulous men" (Vivien Noakes, Edward Lear - The Life of a Wanderer, 1968, p.40). Lear drew an eagle owl for Gould's Birds of Europe, vol. 4 published in 1837 so the present drawing may have been executed from memory. Two drawings of Scops owls, executed in watercolour by Lear, one dated May 1848 when he was on Corfu, were with Andrew Wyld in 2010 (see W.S. Fine Art, exhibition catalogue, 2010, nos. 42 and 43). The Drewitt family were childhood friends of Lear living at Peppering House near Arundel, Sussex. Lear's sister Sarah married Charles Street in 1822 and moved to near Arundel so Lear was a frequent visitor to the area. Fanny Drewitt married George Coombe probably in 1831 and they lived at Peppering House. A group of letters from Lear to the Coombes were rediscovered in the 1990s and were at Christies' on June 29, 1995. They are now in the Frederick Warne Archive. They provide a useful early record of Lear's life and movements. Edward Lear was born into a middle-class family at Holloway, North London, the penultimate of twenty-one children (and youngest to survive) of Ann Clark Skerrett and Jeremiah Lear. He was brought up by his eldest sister, also named Ann, twenty-one years his senior. Owing to the family's limited finances, Lear and his sister were required to leave the family home and live together when he was aged four. Ann doted on Edward and continued to act as a mother for him until her death, when he was almost fifty years of age. Lear suffered from lifelong health afflictions. From the age of six he suffered frequent grand mal epileptic seizures, and bronchitis, asthma, and during later life, partial blindness. Lear experienced his first seizure at a fair near Highgate with his father. The event scared and embarrassed him. Lear felt lifelong guilt and shame for his epileptic condition. His adult diaries indicate that he always sensed the onset of a seizure in time to remove himself from public view. When Lear was about seven years old he began to show signs of depression, possibly due to the instability of his childhood. He suffered from periods of severe melancholia which he referred to as "the Morbids." Lear was already drawing "for bread and cheese" by the time he was aged sixteen and soon developed into a serious "ornithological draughtsman" employed by the Zoological Society and then from 1832 to 1836 by the Earl of Derby, who kept a private menagerie at his estate, Knowsley Hall. He was the first major bird artist to draw birds from real live birds, instead of skins. Lear's first publication, published when he was nineteen years old, was Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots in 1830. One of the greatest ornithological artists of his era, he taught Elizabeth Gould while also contributing to John Gould's works and was compared favorably with John James Audubon. Unfortunately his eyesight deteriorated too much to work with such precision on fine drawings and lithographic stones, thus he turned to landscape painting and travel. In 1842 Lear began a journey into the Italian peninsula, travelling through the Lazio, Rome, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily. In personal notes, together with drawings, Lear gathered his impressions on the Italian way of life, folk traditions, and the beauty of the ancient monuments. He eventually settled in San Remo, on his beloved Mediterranean coast, in the 1870s, at a villa he named "Villa Tennyson." In 1846 Lear published A Book of Nonsense, a volume of limericks that went through three editions and helped popularize the form and the genre of literary nonsense. In 1871 he published Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets, which included his most famous nonsense song, The Owl and the Pussycat, which he wrote for the children of his patron Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Many other works followed. Lear's nonsense books were highly popular during his lifetime, but a rumor developed that "Edward Lear" was merely a pseudonym, and the books' true author was the man to whom Lear had dedicated the works, his patron the Earl of Derby. Promoters of this rumor offered as evidence the facts that both men were named Edward, and that "Lear" is an anagram of "Earl." Lear's nonsense works are distinguished by a facility of verbal invention and a poet's delight in the sounds of words, both real and imaginary. A stuffed rhinoceros becomes a "diaphanous doorscraper." A "blue Boss-Woss" plunges into "a perpendicular, spicular, orbicular, quadrangular, circular depth of soft mud." His heroes are Quangle-Wangles, Pobbles, and Jumblies. One of his most famous verbal inventions, the phrase "runcible spoon," occurs in the closing lines of The Owl and the Pussycat, and is now found in many English dictionaries. Among other travels, he visited Greece and Egypt during 1848-49, and toured India during 1873-75, including a brief detour to Ceylon. While travelling he produced large quantities of colored wash drawings in a distinctive style, which he converted later in his studio into oil and watercolor paintings, as well as prints for his books. His landscape style often shows views with strong sunlight, with intense contrasts of color. Throughout his life he continued to paint seriously. He had a lifelong ambition to illustrate Tennyson's poems; near the end of his life a volume with a small number of illustrations was published. After a long decline in his health, Lear died at his villa in 1888 of heart disease, from which he had suffered since at least 1870.
LEAR, Edward (1812-1888). On the Nile. Pen and brown ink on laid paper, Inscribed on key. Watermarked: 1836 and embosed with a fleur de lys. 4 1/4" x 7 1/4" sheet; 11" x 13 1/4" framed. Provenance: George and Fanny Coombe (nee Drewitt), Peppering House, Sussex. Lear's biographer Vivien Noakes has noted that Lear "was at his best when drawing majestic, unpretty birds like ravens and owls; he endowed them with sagacious personalities, and it is tempting to wonder if Lear found a common bond with birds, for they too were at the mercy of unscrupulous men" (Vivien Noakes, Edward Lear - The Life of a Wanderer, 1968, p.40). Lear drew an eagle owl for Gould's Birds of Europe, vol. 4 published in 1837 so the present drawing may have been executed from memory. The Drewitt family were childhood friends of Lear living at Peppering House near Arundel, Sussex. Lear's sister Sarah married Charles Street in 1822 and moved to near Arundel so Lear was a frequent visitor to the area. Fanny Drewitt married George Coombe probably in 1831 and they lived at Peppering House. A group of letters from Lear to the Coombes were rediscovered in the 1990s and were at Christies' on June 29, 1995. They are now in the Frederick Warne Archive. They provide a useful early record of Lear's life and movements. Edward Lear was born into a middle-class family at Holloway, North London, the penultimate of twenty-one children (and youngest to survive) of Ann Clark Skerrett and Jeremiah Lear. He was brought up by his eldest sister, also named Ann, twenty-one years his senior. Owing to the family's limited finances, Lear and his sister were required to leave the family home and live together when he was aged four. Ann doted on Edward and continued to act as a mother for him until her death, when he was almost fifty years of age. Lear suffered from lifelong health afflictions. From the age of six he suffered frequent grand mal epileptic seizures, and bronchitis, asthma, and during later life, partial blindness. Lear experienced his first seizure at a fair near Highgate with his father. The event scared and embarrassed him. Lear felt lifelong guilt and shame for his epileptic condition. His adult diaries indicate that he always sensed the onset of a seizure in time to remove himself from public view. When Lear was about seven years old he began to show signs of depression, possibly due to the instability of his childhood. He suffered from periods of severe melancholia which he referred to as "the Morbids." Lear was already drawing "for bread and cheese" by the time he was aged sixteen and soon developed into a serious "ornithological draughtsman" employed by the Zoological Society and then from 1832 to 1836 by the Earl of Derby, who kept a private menagerie at his estate, Knowsley Hall. He was the first major bird artist to draw birds from real live birds, instead of skins. Lear's first publication, published when he was nineteen years old, was Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots in 1830. One of the greatest ornithological artists of his era, he taught Elizabeth Gould while also contributing to John Gould's works and was compared favorably with John James Audubon. Unfortunately his eyesight deteriorated too much to work with such precision on fine drawings and lithographic stones, thus he turned to landscape painting and travel. In 1842 Lear began a journey into the Italian peninsula, travelling through the Lazio, Rome, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily. In personal notes, together with drawings, Lear gathered his impressions on the Italian way of life, folk traditions, and the beauty of the ancient monuments. He eventually settled in San Remo, on his beloved Mediterranean coast, in the 1870s, at a villa he named "Villa Tennyson." In 1846 Lear published A Book of Nonsense, a volume of limericks that went through three editions and helped popularize the form and the genre of literary nonsense. In 1871 he published Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets, which included his most famous nonsense song, The Owl and the Pussycat, which he wrote for the children of his patron Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Many other works followed. Lear's nonsense books were highly popular during his lifetime, but a rumor developed that "Edward Lear" was merely a pseudonym, and the books' true author was the man to whom Lear had dedicated the works, his patron the Earl of Derby. Promoters of this rumor offered as evidence the facts that both men were named Edward, and that "Lear" is an anagram of "Earl." Lear's nonsense works are distinguished by a facility of verbal invention and a poet's delight in the sounds of words, both real and imaginary. A stuffed rhinoceros becomes a "diaphanous doorscraper." A "blue Boss-Woss" plunges into "a perpendicular, spicular, orbicular, quadrangular, circular depth of soft mud." His heroes are Quangle-Wangles, Pobbles, and Jumblies. One of his most famous verbal inventions, the phrase "runcible spoon," occurs in the closing lines of The Owl and the Pussycat, and is now found in many English dictionaries. Among other travels, he visited Greece and Egypt during 1848-49, and toured India during 1873-75, including a brief detour to Ceylon. While travelling he produced large quantities of colored wash drawings in a distinctive style, which he converted later in his studio into oil and watercolor paintings, as well as prints for his books. His landscape style often shows views with strong sunlight, with intense contrasts of color. Throughout his life he continued to paint seriously. He had a lifelong ambition to illustrate Tennyson's poems; near the end of his life a volume with a small number of illustrations was published. After a long decline in his health, Lear died at his villa in 1888 of heart disease, from which he had suffered since at least 1870.
