The first inscribed l.l.: 'Superflumina Babylonis' 

Pen, ink and sepia wash

16 by 16 cm; and 16 by 20 cm (two works framed as one)

Provenance: Redfern Gallery 1996; Peter Cotterill

The title of this work, “Super Flumina Babylonis”, relates to Psalm 137 and in English translates to “By the rivers of Babylon”. The psalm is one of most powerful and evocative in the Old Testament and relates to the period of the Israelites in exile. It has often been set to music . The figure in the smaller work is possibly playing a lute (or similar) and the lower figure, appears perhaps to be playing a harp or hanging it from a tree (another reference to the psalm text).