Provenance

Untraced until 24 July 1945, when it was bought as “Launceston Devon Landscape” by the Fine Art Society (no.4116) from Mr Ringer (however, the entry describing this transaction in the Fine Art Society stock book is crossed out). The identity of Mr Ringer is unknown, but as on the same day he seems also to have sold the Fine Art Society a drawing (61) that had recently been owned by Judith Merivale (1860–1945; see also 480), the likelihood is that this work came from the same source. It may well have been among a parcel sold from Judith Merivale’s collection in 1945 to Squire Gallery, much of which was sold shortly afterwards to the Fine Art Society, where in 1946 a “small” view of Launceston was on sale. On 27 November 1946 the drawing was sold to Lieutenant Colonel Eugene John O’Meara of Bournemouth (d.1962) and is thereafter untraced until sold—presumably by his estate—at Sotheby’s on 20 November 1963, lot 36, as Launceston, Cornwall for £270 jointly to the Fine Art Society and Agnew’s (Agnew’s no.J3656, Fine Art Society no.7856). On 20 January 1964 Agnew’s sold the drawing to a collector (see also 701), the Fine Art Society selling its share to Agnew’s retrospectively on 30 April 1964 for £175. It remained in a private collection until 1997 and was again on sale at Agnew’s the following year.