Lot 92: DANIEL THOMAS EGERTON (1797-1842, BRITISH) Signed

DANIEL THOMAS EGERTON (1797-1842, BRITISH) Signed and dated 1838 Oil on Canvas Inscribed verso "The Valley of Mexico" 15" x 23" He was one of the first travelling artists to arrive in Mexico after the country's independence in 1822 when the borders were opened up to non-Hispanics, DANIEL THOMAS EGERTON - BRITISH (Born England 1797 - Died Tacubaya, Mexico 1842) Painter, Draughtsman and Engraver Exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists, of which he was a founder member, from 1824 , Europeans were attracted to Mexico by curiosity about its natural wonders, exoticness and abundant mineral wealth, which Egerton captures in his panoramic views and, as in this picture, features locals in traditional costume in the foreground of his paintings It is thought that he only completed around 25 oil paintings during his time there He returned to London and in 1840 published an acclaimed volume "Vistas de Mexico" featuring 12 lithographic views This picture may have formed the basis of one of the plates in the publication titled "Vista de la Ciudad de Mexico" (View of the City of Mexico) Egerton returned to Mexico City in 1841 with his wife and both met an untimely end when they were murdered by bandits in 1842 Provenance: By descent from the owner's family who owned a gold mine in Mexico in the early 19th Century This picture was commissioned of the artist along with three others by the family