The Canada 150 Auction

June 27, 2017

LOT 564

Lot 564

After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)

After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
Lot 564 Details
After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845), Canadian

SET OF SIX RARE MONTREAL VIEWS, 1830:
VIEW OF THE HARBOUR, MONTREAL;
VIEW OF MONTREAL FROM SAINT HELEN’S ISLAND;
VIEW OF THE CHAMP DE MARS, MONTREAL;
NOTRE DAME STREET, MONTREAL;
SAINT JAMES’S STREET, MONTREAL;
PLACE D’ARMES, MONTREAL

six copperplate engravings, each handcoloured with watercolour by William Satchwell Leney (1769-1831) after watercolours by Sproule. Published by Adolphus Bourne, Montreal, 1830.
Plate 11" x 14.75" — 27.9 x 37.5 cm.

Estimate $6,000-$8,000

Realised: $10,200
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
  • After Robert Auchmuty Sproule (1799-1845)
Provenance:

The Monck Estate, Montreal

Literature:

Pierre B. Landry, “SPROULE, ROBERT AUCHMUTY,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003

Note:

Robert Auchmuty Sproule, watercolourist, miniaturist and drawing master was born in Athlone (Republic of Ireland) in 1799. He came to Lower Canada in 1826 and settled in Montreal. On September 30, 1826, an advertisement appeared in the Montreal Herald, announcing Sproule as a miniaturist who had studied with “the best Masters in London and Dublin.”

In November 1829 he gave notice of his intention to bring out six views of Montreal, which did in fact appear the following year. The series marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between Sproule and publisher Bourne that lasted until 1834 and led to the introduction of lithography into the colony.

The Montreal and Quebec series of prints are said to be the most handsome series published in Canada demonstrating the maturity achieved in pictorial printmaking in Canada during the first half of the 19th century.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 564
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.