John Linnell (1792-1882)

The potato field - Isle of Wight

Details

John Linnell (1792-1882)
The potato field - Isle of Wight
signed and dated 'J. Linnell f./1829' (lower right), further signed and indistinctly inscribed 'The Potato field J Linnell/****** of ***' (on an old label attached to the reverse) and further inscribed, numbered and dated 'No 2 The Potato Field/1832' (on the artist's card attached to the reverse)
oil on panel
11 x 13 7/8 in. (28 x 35.7 cm.)

Provenance

Purchased from the artist by Ralph Thomas, 1846.
James Orrock Esq., 13 Bedford Square, London, by 1883.
A.T. Hollingsworth Esq., by 1898.

Literature

G. Crayon, Jun., A Glance at the Exhibitions of the works of Living Artists: Under the Patronage of the Glasgow Dilettanti Society, Glasgow, 1830, p. 54.
D. Linnell, Blake, Palmer, Linnell & Co., The life of John Linnell, Sussex, 1994, p.133 & 357, no. 48(b).

Exhibited

London, British Institution, 1830, no. 37 (30 gns).
Glasgow, Glasgow Dilettanti Society, 1830, no. 40 (£37 10s).
London, Royal Academy, Exhibition of works by the Old Masters and by deceased masters of the British School including a special selection from the works of John Linnell and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Winter 1883, no. 108 (lent by James Orrock).
Edinburgh, International Exhibition of Industry, Science & Art, 1886, no. 1453 (lent by James Orrock).
Probably, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Park, International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry, 1888, no. 47 as The Potato Harvest (lent by James Orrock).
London, New Gallery, 1898, no. 204 (lent by A.T. Hollingsworth).
London, Royal Academy, 1903, no. 104 (lent by A.T. Hollingsworth).

Brought to you by

Clare Keiller

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Lot Essay

Dating from 1829, The Potato Field- Isle of Wight, is a replica of a picture first painted in 1816. Linnell's handling of light and shadow gives an indication of the poetic landscapes that we're yet to come. It was one of seven works he sent to the British Institution in 1830. He saw a great deal of Samuel Palmer at this time, giving him advice and encouragement. He copied Old Masters in the National Gallery and visited him in Shoreham.

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