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William Henry Hunt, Light and Shade, dated 1835

Light and Shade

Private Collection

Watercolor and gum arabic with scratching out

12 3/4 X 9 5/8 in

Signed and dated, W. Hunt 1835

 

Provenance:

Lieut.-Gen. R. G. Feilden;

(S) Christie's London, 9 Feb 1982, Lot 57 (P) £972, $1,657* Chris Beetles;

Chris Beetles Ltd., London, from whom purchased in Nov 1987 by the present owner for £2,750.

 

Exhibited:

Blackburn, England, Blackburn Corporation Art Gallery, No. 14.

 

A favorite subject of William Henry Hunt was children going to bed holding a candle to guide their way. The artist painted two versions of this Black Boy which are close to identical. Strangely, the other version is signed three times and dated twice, with different years. This may have been done at the request of an owner who couldn't make up their mind how to frame that watercolor, since the signatures are at different corners of the watercolor. It is interesting that the artist used such a limited pallet in these paintings, which was obviously intentional. It s unclear which of the two watercolors was painted first.

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Uploaded on December 7, 2010
Taken on December 7, 2010