John Ruskin, H.R.W.S.,
Bellinzona, Switzerland, looking north towards the St. Gotthard pass
Estimate: 60.000 - 80.000 GBP
Price realised: 274.050 GBP
Price realised: 274.050 GBP
Description
John Ruskin, H.R.W.S., (1819-1900)
Bellinzona, Switzerland, looking north towards the St. Gotthard pass
with inscription 'Sketch - John Ruskin./Given to Rev'd Moore on his leaving Camberwell 1866 by J. Ruskin.' (on an old label attached to the back of the frame)
pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, on light blue tinted paper
20½ x 14 in. (52 x 35.5 cm.)
and a letter from Ruskin to Reverend Moore '22 n d oct. 1866./Dear Mr Moore/I have made no drawings at/any time but for notes of fact: more for/pleasure of sketching- so that I have had/great difficulty in finding one that seemed/the least fit for presentation to you. Nor/can I ever conceive any one taking any/pleasure in my imperfect work. However/the sketch I send looks pretty well at/a distance, and it is of an interesting scene/enough, in its way. the little rocky garden/& the view of village near Bellinzona/- which being much too steep for the old priest to trouble himself by walking- much/less working in - had near perished by drought when I sketched it- though a/mountain stream dashed by only a hundred/yards below.- from which- when I was tired/of drawing, my quick hand brought/up sundry bucketsfull of snow water/to the poor garden- much to its/refreshment- and the villagers' astonishment/and our own piece of mind- for that afternoon./The valley in the distan
Bellinzona, Switzerland, looking north towards the St. Gotthard pass
with inscription 'Sketch - John Ruskin./Given to Rev'd Moore on his leaving Camberwell 1866 by J. Ruskin.' (on an old label attached to the back of the frame)
pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, on light blue tinted paper
20½ x 14 in. (52 x 35.5 cm.)
and a letter from Ruskin to Reverend Moore '22 n d oct. 1866./Dear Mr Moore/I have made no drawings at/any time but for notes of fact: more for/pleasure of sketching- so that I have had/great difficulty in finding one that seemed/the least fit for presentation to you. Nor/can I ever conceive any one taking any/pleasure in my imperfect work. However/the sketch I send looks pretty well at/a distance, and it is of an interesting scene/enough, in its way. the little rocky garden/& the view of village near Bellinzona/- which being much too steep for the old priest to trouble himself by walking- much/less working in - had near perished by drought when I sketched it- though a/mountain stream dashed by only a hundred/yards below.- from which- when I was tired/of drawing, my quick hand brought/up sundry bucketsfull of snow water/to the poor garden- much to its/refreshment- and the villagers' astonishment/and our own piece of mind- for that afternoon./The valley in the distan
A top price for John Ruskin
When the work Bellinzona, Switzerland, looking north towards the St. Gotthard pass by John Ruskin was auctioned at Christies in London in November 2003, the result exceeded expectations many times over. The upper estimate was set at a - in retrospect quite modest - GBP 80,000.00 but the actual price achieved was more than three times as high at GBP 274,050.00 (€ 393,402.83). This high result makes Bellinzona, Switzerland, looking north towards the St. Gotthard pass the most expensive artwork by John Ruskin that we have observed at auctions so far.
Ein Spitzenpreis für John Ruskin
Als die Arbeit Bellinzona, Switzerland, looking north towards the St. Gotthard pass von John Ruskin im November 2003 bei Christies in London versteigert wurde, übertraf das Ergebnis die Erwartungen um ein Vielfaches. Der obere Schätzpreis war mit – rückwirkend betrachtet recht bescheidenen – GBP 80.000,00 angesetzt, der tatsächlich erzielte Preis hingegen war mit GBP 274.050,00 (€ 393.402,83) mehr als dreimal so hoch. Dieses hohe Ergebnis macht Bellinzona, Switzerland, looking north towards the St. Gotthard pass zu dem teuersten Kunstwerk von John Ruskin, das wir bisher bei Auktionen beobachtet haben.
John Ruskin - Auction history
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