Anthony Devis (1729–1816)
Anthony Devis was a painter and draughtsman of charming landscapes
inspired by Dutch and Italianate models. As a draughtsman, he produced large
finished works in crayon and wash, and – as here – fresh studies in pen and ink
enlivened with colour.
A large, spectacular fully coloured view, showing the London in the distance including the dome of St Pauls, from Dulwich Common, with a
shepherd and sheep in the foreground as the sun is starting to go down. I think that this is watercolour over ink, but there may also be crayon in the foreground and on the sheep. Provenance is from the well known midlands dealer, Stanley Fisher, who were
BADA (British Antiques Dealers Association) members, who illustrated it in a book he wrote where he dated this to the
1770s according to the label verso.
it is in very good underlying condition, with the colours remaining strong. There are no rips, tears, or foxing, but it does need cleaning to removed the visible brown staining. This will likely cost about £150.There are two faint spots where old foxing has been treated, but these will not be visible once cleaned. It is a large picture is 42cm (w) by 30cm (h), framed 64cm by 54cm. The mount is non acidic, and the frame is dull gold, and in decent condition, with a slight loss to the left.
Postage and packing will be at cost and the second price includes
insurance.
His work is represented in the Government Art Collection, the National
Trust Collection, and numerous public collections including the British Museum,
the British Library, the V&A, the Courtauld Gallery, the V&A;
Abbot Hall Art Gallery (Kendal), The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge), the Harris
Museum and Art Gallery (Preston), Tyne & Wear Museums; National
Museum Wales (Cardiff); and Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums, the Ashmolean
Museum (Oxford), The Whitworth Art Gallery (Manchester); Metropolitan Museum of
Art (USA), Paul Mellon Centre (USA).
It is sold by the major auction houses
(Christies, Sotheby's and Bonhams), as well as by dealers e.g.: Guy Peppiatt
Fine Art, Chris Beetles, Karen Taylor Fine Art, The Swan Gallery & Abbott
& Holder.
Biography
Anthony Devis was born in Preston, Lancashire
on 18 March 1729, to the councillor, Anthony Devis, and his second wife Anne.
The portrait painter, Arthur Devis, was his older half-brother. While
his training remains a mystery, Devis was certainly working as a painter in
London by 1742, when he was still only thirteen. Returning for a time to
Preston, he was back in London by 1762, and living in Gloucester Street with
his brother John, a silversmith and watchmaker; a decade later he had
moved to Bedford Row. He specialised in topographical paintings, which he
produced in both oil and watercolour, and exhibited – most notably – at
the Free Society of Artists (1761 and 1763) and the Royal Academy of Arts (1772
and 1781). A Cool Morning, exhibited at the Free Society in
1763, was awarded ‘The Third Premium for Landscape Painting’. He also worked
as a picture restorer and a teacher.
In the early 1770s, Josiah Wedgwood commissioned Devis, among others, to
produce numerous views of ‘the ruins, country-houses, parks, gardens and
picturesque landscapes of Great Britain’. These were intended to decorate the
great creamware dinner service –
known as the Frog Service – ordered by Empress Catherine the Great of Russia.
This project may have instigated his extensive travels across Britain, and
he subsequently undertook a number of commissions from native landowners. The
completed service certainly includes views by Devis of Enville,
Staffordshire and Bradgate, Leicestershire.
In 1780, Devis moved to Albury House in the village of Albury, near Guildford,
in Surrey. Though there is no evidence of his exhibiting later than 1781, he
did continue to work.
There is no record that Devis travelled abroad, and his drawings of foreign
views are probably inspired by the work of others. Still, it is possible that
Devis accompanied William Assheton of Cuerdale Hall, Lancashire, on his tour of
Italy in 1783-84 – as the trees in a number of Assheton’s Italian drawings are
very like those by Devis. Indeed, Devis may have acted as Assheton’s drawing
master. Devis died a bachelor at Albury on 26 April 1816. However, two of his
nephews – Anthony Thomas Devis and Robert Marris – continued to produce work in
a similar vein.