PORTRAITURE

Peter Wardle studied at Leicester School of Art and the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford. He began his career as a professional portrait painter and sculptor in the 1970s, and has work in a number of institutions including the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Ten of his works in the National Portrait Gallery collection include portraits of Athol Fugard, H. J. Eysenck and Edmund Blunden. He was also responsible for the portrait of Sir Geoffrey Keynes used as the frontispiece to his 1973 festschift. The present collection, containing around ninety items, is in aged and worn condition.

On piece of 21 x 13 cm India paper, laid down on a piece of thick paper, 33 x 24cm. The engraving is small in comparison, measuring around 8 x 6 cm, and showing a formally dressed and bearded Baxter's head and shoulders, facing to his right. Aged and dusty, with crease line to the mount at the foot. Stodart has signed in pencil in the bottom right-hand corner of the engraving paper, and the crease line bissects the signature and its underlining. At bottom right of mount, in pencil: 'Dr Baxter | Kings College'.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with slight traces of glue from mount on reverse, which is docketed 'Phillips the Portrait Painter'. The note reads: 'Dear Sir | Your Picture is now varnished & ready to be sent away. Pray be so good as to favour me with the Direction for the Case'.

An albumen print, mounted on a piece of plain white card. Dimensions of print: 94 x 57 mm. Dimensions of card: 104 x 64 mm. Aged and faded. The card is entirely blank, apart from the date '1853' written at the head of the reverse. Clearly an early portrait of black people: if the date on the reverse is correct it pre-dates by a year the patenting of the carte to visite by Disdéri. The couple are seated side by side, gazing slightly to the right of the camera.

ITEM ONE: pencil sketch (roughly three inches square) of pensive woman in full dress seated on chair beside table with vase. Good. On reverse of part of envelope addressed to 'H. Wyatt Esqre. | Newman Street | Oxford Street' and postmarked in red ink oval '2 . A NOON . 2 | MY 4 | 1833'. Another postmark in black ink, and wafer still adhering. ITEM TWO: pencil sketch (roughly one inch by one and a half) of trees around long wall with spire in distance. On visiting card of 'Mr. Henry Wyatt' (the sketch over the word 'Wyatt').