Provenance

Bequeathed by the artist in 1816 to James White of Exeter (1744–1825), on whose death it passed to Towne’s residuary legatee John Herman Merivale (1779–1844) and his successors. Merivale’s granddaughters Maria Sophia Merivale (1853–1928) and Judith Ann Merivale (1860–1945), both of Oxford, inherited the drawing in May 1915 (BP24). In 1933 Judith Merivale sold it to Squire Gallery for £6 10s. By 1949 it was in the collection of John Boynton Priestley (1894–1984), who insured it that year for £200. It is thereafter untraced until its sale at Phillip’s on 29 January 1999, lot 28, for £95,600 (including fees) to Professor Ian Craft, who offered it for sale at Sotheby’s on 14 July 2010 with an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000 (the Sotheby’s catalogue stated that the drawing was in the ownership of John Boynton Priestley, who probably bought it from Squire). Craft also offered FT425. According to Colin Gleadell at artnews.com (report dated 27 July 2010), at the 2010 sale the drawing sold to a Canadian collector.