Sophie Anderson (French, 1823-1903) The Studio

Sophie Anderson (French, 1823-1903) The Studio signed 'S. Anderson' (lower left) oil on canvas 107 x 143.5cm (42 1/8 x 56 1/2in). Footnotes: Provenance Anon. sale, Sotheby's, London, 14 February 1978, lot 153. With Roy Miles Fine Paintings. Exhibited London, Royal Academy, 1885, no. 139. Our knowledge of the career of Sophie Anderson (née Gengembre) depends principally on a brief entry in Ellen Clayton's English Female Artists published in 1876. She was born in Paris, the daughter of an eminent French architect and his English wife. Her childhood was spent in the French countryside and in Paris, but in about 1848 the family left for the United States, probably fleeing the political unrest that had broken out in Europe that year. In America she established a successful portrait practice and it was there that she met her husband, Walter Anderson, a painter of domestic subjects. In 1854 they moved to England, setting up house at 7 Harriet Cottages in Dalston, a semi-rural enclave off the Kingsland Road in Hackney. She exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1855, the majority of her paintings being subjects of children. Her painting No Walk Today of the late 1850s, is recognised as one of the most enduring and well-loved images of Victorian childhood – it was the centre-piece of the collection of Sir David and Lady Scott. The Studio depicts a woman who has been posing for an artist and has apparently fallen asleep – the moment depicted is when she wakes and stretches from the slumber, reaching for the peacock-feathered-fan that has slipped from her fingers. The classical setting is virtually unique in Anderson's oeuvre, the only other example of note being When the Heart is Young (Sotheby's, New York, 20 April 2005, lot 211) which depicts a Roman mother and her children in a courtyard. The splendid Pompeiian interior of The Studio is a reflection of the contemporary fashion for Classical themes in art but also reflects Anderson's inspiration by the ruins at Pompeii which she must have visited following her move to Capri. She had lived on the island of Capri since 1871, seeking a warmer climate to improve her health but also inspiration from the beautiful island and its inhabitants who were used to posing for the many artists who flooded there. By 1885 Sophie and Walter were part of the artist's colony of Capri and Sophie tended to paint small, decorative pictures of the local children who had become used to earning money from the foreign artist who painted them. The Studio was a far more ambitious picture than most of those that Anderson painted at this time and its large size suggests that it was intended as a very serious attempt to establish herself as an artist of importance. It was sent from Capri to London as her only exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1885 and it should be regarded as one of her most important pictures. Saleroom notices: Further research since the publication of the catalogue has yielded the following information. Please note the correct title for this lot is Julia banished, Capri. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1888 under no. 117, in Liverpool later the same year and in Birmingham, 1891. The subject of the work takes its inspiration from the daughter of the Roman Emperor Augustus, Julia, who was exiled by her father. We are grateful to Pamela Nunn for identifying the correct title of the work. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing

Saleroom Notice:
Further research since the publication of the catalogue has yielded the following information. Please note the correct title for this lot is Julia banished, Capri. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1888 under no. 117, in Liverpool later the same year and in Birmingham, 1891. The subject of the work takes its inspiration from the daughter of the Roman Emperor Augustus, Julia, who was exiled by her father. We are grateful to Pamela Nunn for identifying the correct title of the work.