Arthur Wardle, R.I., R.B.C. Under the African Moon

Property from the Wardle Family

Arthur Wardle, R.I., R.B.C.
London 1864–1949
Under the African Moon

signed lower left: ARTHUR WARDLE; and also signed and inscribed on two labels attached to the stretcher: Under the African Moon / Arthur Wardle / 203 Goldhawk Rd / W. 12 / London
oil on canvas, unlined
unframed: 87 x 127 cm.; 34¼ x 50 in.
framed: 110 x 151 cm.; 43¼ x 59½ in.

Condition Report:
The canvas has not been lined. There is a dirty surface and scattered areas of craquelure. Examination under ultra-violet light reveals no evidence of retouching or restoration.

Catalogue Note:
Arthur Wardle was arguably the greatest animal painter of his generation, following in the tradition of British animalier painters which began with George Stubbs and Edwin Landseer and continued with painters like Briton Riviere and John MacAllum Swan. Under the African Moon features two lions, one of his favourite subjects, and is exemplary of his inimitable ability to render the sleek contours and gleaming skins of big cats hunting in the wild. It is one of a number of paintings of exotic animals begun in 1891 when Wardle exhibited Panthers Resting at the Royal Academy. From this point on he produced many paintings of big cats hunting in barren wildernesses, often using a high vantage-point, as in the present picture and also his depiction of leopards, Stealth, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1893 (sold Sotheby's, London, 14 December 2017, lot 57). However, although he depicted Indian leopards and tigers with backgrounds that suggest the foothills of the Himalayas and lions on the African savannah, it is thought that Wardle did not ever go to Africa or India. The backgrounds of his pictures were painted from oil sketches made on Exmoor but capture the requisite barren environment for his prowling beasts. The lions are using the cover of darkness to hide them from their prey and the light of the moon to reveal the small herd of antelope which stand way below in the valley.