Lot 903: SIR ROLAND ALGERNON PENROSE, CBE (1900-1984)

SIR ROLAND ALGERNON PENROSE, CBE (1900-1984) SAILOR ink and gouache, 15.5 x 14cm Painted at Cassis c1923. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by Bonamy Dobree (1891-1974) and his wife Valentine (1893-1974); their daughter, the musician Georgina Dobree (1930-2008) The authenticity of this work has been confirmed (on the basis of first hand inspection) by Anthony Penrose. Mr Penrose has observed (private correspondence) that the present, recently discovered early work by Roland Penrose is closely related to another gouache, "The Pequod" (sold by the descendants of Penrose's secretary, Joyce Reeves, Christie's 6 December, 2007, lot 62) one of the earliest British Surrealist pictures. He draws attention, in particular, to the same treatment of the sea and cobblestones in both works. Penrose, who came from a Quaker family was captivated by the novel Moby Dick, largely set on board Captain Ahab's old ship "The Pequod" and drawing on a rich source of Nantucket Quaker heritage. Since the title of the present work is unrecorded, it is likely also to have been inspired by Melville's famous story. In 1923 Roland Penrose, arrived in Cassis with his friend, the Greek painter and collagist Jean 'Yanko' Varda (1893-1971) whom he had met in Paris (Roland Penrose Scrapbook 1900-1981, Thames & Hudson, 1981, pp28-33). Varda, too was enthralled by the Moby Dick story which provided the theme for many of his mosaics and other works. Penrose and Varda were clearly very fond of the Dobrees and the four friends appear together in a photograph taken at Larrau in 1923 (Penrose. op cit, plt 50). The work will be included in Anthony Penrose's forthcoming Catalogue RaisonnÚ.