Hercules Brabazon Brabazon

Signed with initials l.r.: HBB, watercolour and bodycolour over pencil, inscribed verso: Siracuse and stamped with collector’s markProvenanceGilbert Davis (L. 757a.);Edward Seago, his estate sale at Christie’s, London 1 March 1977, lot 94;Where bought by B.M. Williams;Christie’s, London, 21 November 2007, lot 145, where acquired by the previous owner until 2025 Gilbert Davis (1899–1983) built up a large collection of watercolours in the middle of the twentieth century. He sold the bulk of his collection in 1959 to the Huntingdon Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. Edward Seago RBA, RWS (1910-1974) was one of the most popular British artists of 20th century, who painted in oils and watercolours.

Signed with initials in pencil l.r.: HBB, watercolour24 x 17 cm.; 9 ½ x 6 ¾ inchesProvenancePietro Raffo, until 2022£2200This watercolour shows the influence of J.M.W. Turner, whose watercolour studies were copied by Brabazon.

KT397Watercolour17.6 x 25.8 cm.; 6 7/8 x 10¼ inchesFramed size 34.5 x 44.5 cm.; 13 5/8 x 17 ½ inchesProvenanceSotheby’s, London, 18 November 1971, lot 64;Charles J. Branchini until 2020The second son of Hercules Sharpe, the artist was educated at Harrow. After leaving Cambridge where he read Maths he decided to become an artist and studied in Rome for three years. On the death of his elder brother he inherited the Brabazon estates (and name) in Ireland. He spent his summers in England and his winters travelling in Europe and, from the 1860s, further afield. In 1891 Sargent persuaded him to have an exhibition at the Goupil Gallery and, as a result, in his old age he was at the forefront of the modern movement.Brabazon was most influenced by Turner, Cox, Müller and de Wint and his work owes much to Turner's late work. This watercolour is reminiscent of the style of Sargent.

Signed with initials l.l., watercolour over pencil with touches of bodycolour on grey paper17 x 26 cm.; 6 ¾ x 10 ¼ inchesExhibitedLeger Galleries, London, November 1973;Private collection U.K. until 2022The second son of Hercules Sharpe, the artist was educated at Harrow. After leaving Cambridge where he read Maths he decided to become an artist and studied in Rome for three years. On the death of his elder brother he inherited the Brabazon estates (and name) in Ireland. He spent his summers in England and his winters travelling in Europe and, from the 1860s, further afield. The artist visited India three times, in 1870, 1875 and 1876.In 1891 Sargent persuaded him to have an exhibition at the Goupil Gallery and, as a result, in his old age he was at the forefront of the modern movement.

Watercolour17 x 24.6 cm.; 6 33/4 x 9 ¾ inchesProvenancePietro Raffo until 2022£3200Brabazon greatly admired the work of J.M.W.Turner. This is a copy after a watercolour in the Turner Bequest (D32168 TB CCCXVI 31). It is thought to show shipping moored off the Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore or the Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice, done in 1840. Ian Warrell has suggested that it is part of a group which probably derived from Canaletto’s Bacino compositions (I. Warrell, Turner and Venice, 2003, p. 47). https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-shipping-moored-off-the-isola-di-san-giorgio-maggiore-or-the-r1196999Brabazon captures the spirit of Turner’s watercolour rather successfully. Given that Turner was influenced in turn by Canaletto, this watercolour attests to the hold which Venice has had over artists through the ages.

Watercolour with touches of white over pencil on blue paper14 x 17.3 cmThe second son of Hercules Sharpe, the artist was educated at Harrow. After leaving Cambridge, where he read mathematics, he decided to become an artist and studied in Rome for three years. On the death of his elder brother he inherited the Brabazon name and estates in Ireland. He spent his summers in England and his winters travelling in Europe and, from the 1860s, further afield. In 1891 Sargent persuaded him to have an exhibition at the Goupil Gallery, and as a result in his old age he was at the forefront of the modern movement.He was most influenced by Turner, Cox, Müller and de Wint, and his style owes much to Turner’s late work. Turner drew several views of Luxembourg on his Meuse–Moselle tour of 1839, and a watercolour from a similar viewpoint is in the Turner Bequest at Tate Britain (TB CCXXX1 0), although it is unlikely that Brabazon would have seen this work.