Live Auction 787920th Century British & Irish Art Including The Selwyn Demmy Collection of Works by L S Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976)
Lot 49

Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976)

The Tyne Ferry, The South Shields Ferry Boat

Closed11 November 2010

Price Realised

GBP 25,000

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Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976)
The Tyne Ferry, The South Shields Ferry Boat
signed and dated 'L.S. LOWRY 1963' (lower left), signed again, inscribed and dated again 'The Tyne Ferry/The South Shields Ferry Boat/L S Lowry 1963' (on the backboard)
pencil
9½ x 12¾ in. (24.1 x 32.4 cm.)

Private collection, from 1965.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 12 November 2009, lot 72, where purchased by the present owner.

Specialist note

Unlike lots 42 and 56 which are full scale studies this drawing is very loose and is clearly meant only as a sketch, more of an aide-memoire than the basis for a major painting. The actual ferry boat, pointed directly at the viewer, looms powerfully out of the water with its rather intimidating symmetry while the drawing of the other, lesser and less detailed ships is in fact quite perfunctory.

On the other hand, when viewed next to lot 50, the full-scale painting, the sketch seems to grow in importance even though it cannot, indeed, does not even try to represent the full turbulence of both sky and sea.

T.G.R.