Lot 86: Raphael Lamar West (1766-1850) TWO PORTRAIT

Raphael Lamar West (1766-1850) TWO PORTRAIT SKETCHES OF GENTLEMEN and ONE SIGNED, DATED AND ANNOTATED COPY OF THE 46th ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION CATALOGUE, LONDON, 1814 exhibition catalogue signed, 'R.L. West', and dated 1814 oil on paper, pencil and pen and ink over paper 37 by 27cm., 14.5 by 10.5in. Little is known of artist Rafael Lamar West, partly owing to the talents and success of his father, Sir Benjamin West, P.R.A. (1738-1820) an Anglo- American who became historical painter to the court of King George III c.1772 and 2nd president of the Royal Academy. Rafael possessed all the talents of his father but lived reluctantly in his shadow for the entirety of his artistic career. This small archival collection comprises three very insightful items; a rare glimpse into the life, thoughts and talents of this artist lesser known artist. The first, an RA catalogue, 1814, containing two works that were exhibited by Lamar West's father, Cupid Stung by a bee, complains to his mother, catalogue no. 16 and The late Duke of Portland as Chancellor of the University of Oxford, catalogue no. 103. Rafael was 48 years of age when he visited this exhibition and the annotated catalogue illustrates his varied thoughts on the exhibitors. The catalogue (pp. 46) also contains 18 inserted double-sided sketches by West (perhaps illustrations of the exhibited works or notes made for his own reference) These sketches bear resemblance to other illustrations by West contained in the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester and referred to in Drawings by Benjamin West and his son, Raphael Lamar West. The first portrait sketch depicts the head of a young gentleman, sensitively coloured with accented tones in the lips and cheeks, the second, a hastier full-length portrait sketch shows the male figure in a classic stance with the left arm resting on his hip and the right extended in formal attire. Reference: Kraemer, Ruth S., Drawings by Benjamin West and his son, Raphael Lamar West, Pierpoint Morgan Library, New York, 1975, fig. 51, p. 87