.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
St. James's Park is the oldest of London's royal parks and now extends to about 90 acres. King Charles II laid the park out afresh, advised by André Le Nôtre, the great landscape gardener, whose work at Versailles he so much admired. He planted it with fruit trees, stocked it with deer and built an avenue. He left untouched the romantic pond known as Rosamond's Pond which is seen in the foreground of the picture. The pond features in a print by N. Smith which carries the following descriptive text: 'The South West corner of Saint James's Park was enriched with this romantic scene. The irregularity of the Trees, the rise of the Ground, the venerable Abbey, afforded great entertainment to the Contemplative Eye, but its melancholy secluded situation seems to have tempted more persons (especially young women) to suicide by drowning than any other places in Town...'. The pond was filled in 1770. During Queen Anne's reign, the park was a notorious haunt for whores. The gates were locked at night, but 6,500 people were authorised to possess keys unofficially. After the appointment of Lord Pomfret in 1751, the condition of the park began to improve. A guidebook in 1755 wrote that there 'are stands of cows, from whence the company at small expense, may be supplied with warm milk'. A French visitor of 1765 elaborated: 'The cows are driven about noon and evening to the gate which leads from the Park to the quarter of Whitehall. Tied in a file to posts at the extremity of the grass plot, they will swill passengers with their milk, which is being drawn from their udders on the spot (and which) is served with all the cleanliness peculiar to the English in little mugs.' The west front of Westminster Abbey is depicted with Nicholas Hawksmoor's towers which were completed in 1745.
Born in London, John Inigo Richards was a landscape and scene painter. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1769 until 1809 and was principal painter at Covent Garden between 1777 and 1803. This picture is comparable with Richards's view, of smaller dimensions (30 x 47¼ in.), of Saint James's Park which was sold in these Rooms, 26 November 1999, lot 19, for £150,000.
We are grateful to Brian Allen for confirming the attribution after inspection of the original.
Born in London, John Inigo Richards was a landscape and scene painter. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1769 until 1809 and was principal painter at Covent Garden between 1777 and 1803. This picture is comparable with Richards's view, of smaller dimensions (30 x 47¼ in.), of Saint James's Park which was sold in these Rooms, 26 November 1999, lot 19, for £150,000.
We are grateful to Brian Allen for confirming the attribution after inspection of the original.