Joseph Clark (1834-1926)
Study for Checkmate
Pen and ink with grey wash; signed
4 x 5 ¼ inches
£1,600
Provenance
Simon Thesinger
Thomas Agnew & Sons, London (no. 44614) from whom bought by Sir David Scott in 1982
This delicate drawing is a finished study for Checkmate which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1870, following the success of two earlier paintings depicting board game scenes, The Draught Players of 1859 and The Chess Players of 1860. From the gleeful expression of the boy, we may guess that the game is not going in his grandfather's favour.