Lot 106: Edward Thompson Davis (1833-1867)

The Evening Lesson signed and dated 'E.Davis-1858' (lower right) and inscribed 'The Evening Lesson/Edward Davis/Northwick Worcester/no.2' (on an old label on the reverse) oil on panel 133/4 x 18 in. (34.9 x 45.7 cm.) EXHIBITION London, Royal Academy, 1858, no. 255. NOTES Despite the fact that he only exhibited nineteen pictures of rustic genre at the Royal Academy between 1854 and 1867, Davis has a devoted following. His most ambitious work, Market Scene with a Performance of Punch, which depicts the High Street at Chipping Campden, was sold at Sotheby's, London, on 10 November 1999 (œ52,100), but his fame also rests on the merit of his drawings. Following the sale at Christie's of an album of these in 1951, and their subsequent dispersal by Colnaghi's, a number can be seen in distinguished collections, both public, and private, including those of the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford, and Eton College. Davis trained at the Birmingham School of Design, at the same time as his exact contemporary Burne-Jones, but later returned to Worcester, where he spent much of his working life.