Lot 192: Thomas Jones (Trevonen, Powys 1742-1803 Pencerrig, Powys)

Thomas Jones (Trevonen, Powys 1742-1803 Pencerrig, Powys) A wooded river landscape at dusk with Alpheus and Arethusa in the foreground oil on canvas 54 x 77 in. (137.3 x 195.6 cm.)

137.3 x 195.6 cm.

London, Society of Artists, 1769, no. 73, as 'A sunset, with the story of Alpheus and Arethusa', with its pendant 'A land-storm, with the story of of Dido and Aeneas'.

A.P. Oppé (ed.), 'Memoirs of Thomas Jones', Walpole Society, XXXII, 1946-48, pp. 12 and 19.

Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor (1731-1802); Christie's, London, 24 June 1772, lot 81, as 'Joners[sic.] Mortimer' (4 gns. to the following), Sir Charles Watson, 1st Bt. (1751-1844). Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 6 February 1802, lot 61, as 'Alpheus and Arethusa, in a landscape, which Picture gained the Premium at the Arts and Sciences' . George Kinnaird, 7th Lord Kinnaird (1754-1805); (†) Christie's, London, 7 May 1806 (= 3rd day), lot 59, (8 gns. to Wade). Anonymous sale [The Property of a Gentleman, Removed from his Seat in the Country]; Christie's, London, 18 November 1809, lot 80, as 'A capital landscape with Alpheus and Arethusa'.

Last seen in public at the time of the 1809 sale at Christie's, and unavailable to recent scholars of Thomas Jones' work, this impressive landscape constitutes an important rediscovery and is a fine example of the artist's early work. Painted in 1767, the picture won first premium for landscape painting at the Society of Artists that year and was later bought by Richard, 1st Earl of Grosvenor, along with its pendant, A Land Storm, with the Story of Dido and Aeneas (1769; St. Petersburg, Hermitage Museum), a work that was one of the artist's most celebrated during his lifetime. Described by the artist as a ‘most flaring Sun Set’ (A.P. Oppé, op. cit., p. 14), Jones records the story of his winning the premium and the ensuing commission to paint a pendant landscape in his Memoirs: 'The large picture which won the first premium in 1767, still remained unsold – the size of it, 6 feet 4 Inches by four feet 6 Inches – being much too inconvenient for the generality of Purchasers – So I was glad to accept of the proposal of a Picture–dealer, to paint a Companion of the same size and take 50 Guineas for the pair – accordingly in March last I began the Picture (a Storm) which was now finished, and in which my friend Mortimer had introduced the Story of Dido and Æneas retiring to the Cave from Virgil – This was one of the best pictures I ever painted, and attracted much attention' (ibid., p.19). An engraving entitled The Travellers Repose by James Peake (published in 1784) shows the landscape in the present work depicted in reverse. However, rather than including the figure of Alpheus in pursuit of Arethusa, Peake has abandoned the Ovidian story in favour of a more bucolic scene. We are grateful to Dr. Greg Smith for confirming the attribution to Thomas Jones on the basis of photographs and for his assistance with this catalogue entry.