Lot 63

The work is in fair-to-good condition consistent with the significant age of the painting. It presents very well, although some areas should be noted, as below:
The pigment appears to have split in specific areas (this should be visible in the image of the painting) and has likely occurred naturally over time. There are some minor losses throughout, although these are only visible upon close inspection. When examined under UV light there are no apparent areas that fluoresce however it is our recommendation that this painting be assessed by a professional conservator for any restoration advice. A chip to the frame on the left-hand edge. Overall framed size 71 x 82cm.
(LEONARD JOEL CONTACTLESS DELIVERY $88 within 20km of Melbourne premises)


The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to inspect articles for sale at our pre-sale viewing where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice.
Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.

Artarmon Galleries, Sydney 1971
Private collection, Sydney
Private collection, Melbourne

The period of the Heidelberg School is surprisingly brief yet monumental, beginning in 1885 with Tom Roberts' arrival to Australia and ending in 1903 with his departure for England. Driven by a desire to liberate themselves from the European ideal, the Heidelberg School painters envisioned a new Australian consciousness free from outworn conventions. They took to the countryside, escaping the artificiality they found in the city and instead seeking a purity and naturalness beyond.
The artists favoured certain landscapes, visiting them regularly for plein-air painting, and thus identifying them as artist's camps. David Houston's property at Box Hill was one of the first plein-air artist's camps in 1885-86.
By 1891 Walter Withers had established his studio on Collins Street, Melbourne. The great financial crisis of that same year brought disaster for Withers with great hardship and a loss of fortune. While many artists departed, Withers chose to stay in Melbourne. The year 1895 was a turning point for Withers, when the National Gallery of Victoria acquired his "Tranquil Winter" painting which was sent to Grafton Gallery in London for an exhibition of Australian paintings. The critic R.A.M. Stevenson described it as "the most beautiful canvas in the show. from white-stemmed forest trees, the gently illumined house and the delicate sky, make a delicious harmony of colour, as natural as it is decoratively beautiful".
Landscape Box Hill, Victoria c.1890s is impressive in scale, the canvas providing Withers opportunity to fully document the vast expanse and solitute of the landscape - the unassuming house in central focus. The dry warmth of the land comes forth from the golden ground, chequered by the shadows of the towering trees beneath which the animals take shady refuge.

Olivia Fuller
Head of Art