Edward John Gregory (British, 1850-1909) - Portrait of Samue...

Hammer

£3,800

Edward John Gregory (British, 1850-1909) - Portrait of Samuel Radcliffe Platt, Esq., J.P., D.L., on his yacht 'Norseman' (1845-1902), oil on canvas, with exhibition labels and the outer section of the original painting verso., painting dimensions: 103 x 127 cm, in a gilt gesso frame, frame dimensions: 120 x 142 cm. Together with a commemorative Manchester Ship Canal mug with this painting included in the design, as well as a commemorative glass dish (3).

Provenance: From a private collection. This painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1892, then in 1900 at the Paris Exhibition. It was also illustrated in The Graphic, May 21, 1892. Samuel Radcliffe Platt (1845–1902) was chairman of the engineering firm Messrs Platt Brothers & Co., a leading textile machinery manufacturer, and served as Mayor of Oldham and High Sheriff of Lancashire. He died aboard his steam yacht Norseman after surgery in the Menai Strait. He was director of the Manchester Ship Canal Company from 1885 to 1891. On New Year’s Day 1894, upon the canal’s opening to commercial traffic, his steam yacht 'Norseman' led the inaugural flotilla of ships navigating the canal—he had the privilege of ushering the first vessels through. This painting was originally larger, and included the ship's captain steering the yacht, which is still visible verso. See additional images of the whole painting illustrated in the Royal Academy catalogue.

More Information

There is a tear to the canvas lower left approx. 5.5 cm long. with a second restoration beside it an canvas patch visible verso. At the lower edge of the painting there is also a puncture possibly caused by a nail below the canvas with some loss of paint around the hole mark.

Evidence of restoration and repainting in areas. Cracking to the paint surface throughout however the areas of impasto are stable, although cracked.

The full, original paintings (as shown in additional photos) has been cropped in when restretched and the canvas cut down with loss to the picture on the bottom and left sides. The canvas at top and right sides of the picture have not been cut down but have been cropped in and folded.

The new composition is cropped in on all four sides by the following approx. lengths: Top - 4.5cm; right - 4cm; left - more than 8cm; bottom - more than 8 cm.