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A PAIR OF REVERSE GLASS PAINTINGS AFTER WILLIAM The second is based on an engraving by Thomas Watson (and
BUNBURY published by William Dickinson in 1781) and was used as an illustration
Qianlong period, circa 1785 for Lawrence Sterne’s last novel A Sentimental Journey Through
The first shows a musical gathering after an engraving by Bartolozzi France and Italy (1768). The engraving is inscribed in English and
based on a painting by William Bunbury depicting two seated ladies in French: “La Fleur kissed their hands round & round again, and thrice
white holding musical scores and singing, whilst a lady dressed in blue he wiped his eyes, and thrice he promised he would bring them all
and wearing an extravagant red-feather hat plays a lute whilst standing pardons from Rome”.
at a lectern in a garden terrace setting, a boy stands by his seated
mother reading the score over her shoulder and a dog sleeps at her Sterne’s Sentimental Journey was a novel based on Sterne’s own
feet; the second shows a farewell scene after an engraving by Watson, travels in 1765 and framed as an answer to Tobias Smollett’s rather
also based on a painting by William Bunbury, depicting a young swain jaundiced Travels Through France and Italy of 1766, and Smollet
atop his horse bidding farewell to two women, one who weeps, whilst appears in the later novel as the character Smelfungus.
an elderly lady seated at a bench holds a nosegay and the riders
tricorn hat, a rather stern figure with arms crossed stands, waiting, The novel relates the travels of the Reverend Mr. Yorick, starting in
before the rider, a dog drinks from a fountain to one side and in the Calais. In Montreuil he is persuaded to hire a servant and finds a local
mid-distance a standing figure, reading, can be glimpsed through a youth La Fleur, who is noted for little other than his conquests of the
window with grapevine above that grows around the old building, a tall women of the town. The scene here shows his tearful parting from his
tower and building fill the distant sky. admirers before leaving with his master on their journey towards Italy.
14in (35.5cm) across (2). This scene was published in some early editions of the book, entitled
The Departure of La Fleur from Montreuil (fig.2).
$5,000 - 7,000
That both these images were published by William Dickinson suggests
乾隆時期 約1785年 仿William Dunbury人物故事鏡畫一對 he might have been responsible for the order from China.
These are very fine examples of reverse glass painting, well painted References: Roche, Karen Marie (2008) Picturing an Englishman:
and faithfully copying two prints after paintings by Sir Henry William The Art of Sir Henry William Bunbury, 1770-1787 (thesis for DPhil in
Bunbury, 7th baronet, (1750-1811). The first, is based on a stipple English, University of Exeter).
etching by Francesco Bartolozzi (1727-1815) and published by William
Dickinson in 1782. The etching is named ‘The Song’ (fig.1). It is one of
a pair dedicated to Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, the
other being ‘The Dance’.

(fig.2) (fig.1)

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