Sir John Lavery, R.A., R.S.A., R.H.A. (1856-1941)

In the early spring of 1919, when he had completed the majority of his war commissions, Lavery and his wife, Hazel, took an extended cruise around the coast of north Africa, travelling from Rabat to Tangier and Tunis. They had been invited to stay at the villa of the banker, Baron Rudolph d'Erlanger at Sidi-bu-Said near Tunis. In 1917 Lavery had painted a memorable 'portrait interior' of Falconwood, d'Erlanger's home on the outskirts of London (sold Christie's, London, 20 May 1999, lot 54), as well as more conventional portraits of d'Erlanger and his wife, Baba. Now he was to produce a visual record of the d'Erlanger winter retreat. An interior, Hazel at Sidi-bu-Said, 1919 (Belgrave Gallery, London, c. 1985) depicts the painter's wife at her dressing table in an ornate Moorish bedroom.

Although Tunis had not the attraction of Tangier, Lavery produced a number of canvases in and around the city - one for instance, depicting the Rue des Femmes, the prostitute quarter. The present canvas, which is one of only two known portrayals of the Bay of Tunis, recalls Lavery's St Jean-de-Luz suite of 1917 and his more numerous pre-war depictions of Tangier Bay. The bathing platforms on the right, indicated with great economy, inform us of the degree to which, in the early years of the century, the bay had become a tourist destination. At this point, at daybreak, at low tide, they are unoccupied, and what we see is simply the well-felt morning light, with a calm sea flowing over the sand.

We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for preparing this catalogue entry.