Verso: a further portrait of Ida Nettleship

Executed in 1900

Pencil, 24.5 by 29 cm (9 ¾ by 11 ½ ins)

Provenance: William C.Gore; thence by descent

Part of the training at the Slade in John’s time included a close study of French drawing of the eighteenth century. This included a student competition for the finest copying of a drawing by Watteau which John won. Several of John’s drawings from the period reflect this style, including a fine portrait of his sister Gwen (see Christie’s, London, Twentieth Century British Art, 10 June 2005, lot 11). This elegant pastoral scene incorporates his future wife Ida Nettleship and his friend, the painter and future Slade professor, William Rothenstein into a scene rich in these French influences. John himself frequently tore his drawings in half, including some exceptionally fine ones which were often pieced together by other artists. Amongst them was the painter Wyndham Lewis who owned a portfolio of torn John drawings.