This unfinished oil sketch of a tree (above) was kept by pre- Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) until his death and sold in his last major studio sale, held in 1926 at Christie’s.
Latterly, it was removed from a house in Yalding, Kent, following instructions received from executors of the estate of the late owner, Marie Beatrix Cooper, and consigned to Lewes saleroom Gorringe’s (21% buyer’s premium). It had been bought by the Coopers – owners of the Gothic Revival furniture pictured in ATG No 2372 – from London dealer Christopher Wood.