Lot 41: James Archer, R.S.A. (1823-1904)

James Archer, R.S.A. (1823-1904)
Battle of the Centaurs
signed with monogram and dated '1891' (lower right)
oil on panel
31 7/8 x 5 in. (81 x 12.5 cm.)

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
James Archer's Battle of the Centaurs originates from a series of panels which once adorned the hall of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's house at 17 (now 44) Grove End Road, St John's Wood. Having belonged to James Tissot until 1882, Alma-Tadema took over the house three years later, extending, remodelling and redecorating it until it became one of the sights of London. No feature throughout the house, however, was more remarkable than the hall, within which the walls to either side were inset with forty-five narrow upright panels painted by Alma-Tadema's artist friends.

Alike in height (approx 31½ in.) but varying in width, the panels were described at the time as a visual autograph album or a collection of artistic visiting cards. The challenge presented by the unusual and demanding format of the panels was often met with great ingenuity, and all were characteristic examples of the artists' styles - a Grecian view by Poynter, for instance, a garden scene by Marcus Stone, a spray of apple-blossom by Alfred Parsons, and in the case of James Archer, one that incorporated his late-on inclination towards landscape, the medieval and the mythical. This scheme seems to have been ongoing almost up to Alma-Tadema's death in 1912, when the contents of 17 Grove End Road were eventually dispersed, going under the hammer in various sales. Several of the panels were in the Forbes Collection that was sold at Christie's in February 2003, but the whereabouts of others remains unknown.