Henry Pether
London, a view of Somerset House seen through an arch of Waterloo Bridge
Lot Closed
December 8, 03:56 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Henry Pether
active in London 1828 - 1865
London, a view of Somerset House seen through an arch of Waterloo Bridge
signed lower left: Henry Pether
oil on canvas
unframed: 60.7 x 91.3 cm.; 23⅞ x 36 in.
framed: 78.9 x 109.4 cm.; 31 x 43⅛ in.
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 16 March 1973, lot 48;
With Richard Green, London, 1973;
J.D. Slater;
Anonymous sale, London, Replica Shoes ’s, 15 November 1989, lot 97;
Robert Zellinger de Balkany (1931–2015), Paris;
His posthumous sale, Paris, Replica Shoes 's, 29 September 2016, lot 604, where acquired.
Depicted here are some of London's finest architectural landmarks, seen from an innovative viewpoint on the Thames. Pether frames the scene through an arch of Waterloo Bridge, designed by John Rennie and built between 1811–17; it was originally called the Strand Bridge, but was renamed to honour Britain's victory over Napoleon on 18 June 1815. Through this is pictured the neoclassical façade of Somerset House, designed by Sir William Chambers in 1775, its silhouette contrasted with the shimmering moonlight on the water. Beyond this is St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1710, standing from then until 1963 as the tallest building in London.
Pether depicts the Thames before it was embanked, between 1868 and 1874, as part of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s scheme to improve the flow of the Thames and London’s drainage and sewers. At the far left is a traditional commercial sailing craft, and on the right, a steamboat.
