About this artwork
Lear visited Sparta during a tour of the Peloponnese with his friend, Franklin Lushington in March 1849. He enjoyed his visit and made sketches of the vale of Sparta and the surrounding mountains, from which this watercolour was executed at a considerably later date. Lear began to use the monogram visible at the lower right only in 1858. This is probably one of the numerous small watercolours that Lear produced quickly in the studio for immediate sale. He referred to these works as ‘tyrants’, as he felt they were inferior in quality.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Edward Lear (1812 - 1888) English
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title:Sparta
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date created:Unknown
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materials:Watercolour and gouache
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measurements:17.14 x 37.46 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Accepted by H.M. Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the National Gallery of Scotland, 2003
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accession number:D 5551.2
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gallery:
Edward Lear
Edward Lear
Although now best known for his nonsense verse, Edward Lear was a superb draughtsman, a talented musician, an intrepid traveller and an outstanding landscape artist and travel writer. He was born in London and began to draw commercially at the age of sixteen. He developed a passion for travelling...