Claude A Shepperson, original pencil sketch of the Artemis Fountain in Hyde Park

Signed by Shepperson, undated (but 1906–1921), mounted

Author

Publisher

Printing Details

This is an original pencil sketch by Claude A Shepperson, titled 'Fountain in Hyde Park', showing Lady Feodora Gleichen's Artemis Fountain in London's Hyde Park. The sketch is mounted but not framed. The mount measures 50.5 × 40.5cm, and the image is 28 × 22.5cm. It is signed by Shepperson lower left, and Shepperson has also pencilled his monogram to the lower right.

The drawing shows the statue observed from the back in contrapunto stance, drawing her bow and ready to release the arrow. She stands on a brass base, and that is on a shallow stone bowl (three London pigeons can be seen flying down to the bowl). The bowl is held up for four caryatids (two can be seen in the drawing), and the background shows Shepperson's trademark crosshatch style to depict the park's trees.

The drawing is undated, but the statue was cast in 1899 and installed in 1906, so the drawing was executed between 1906 and 1921 (Shepperson's death).

Claude Allin Shepperson, ARA, ARWS, ARE, RI (1867–1921) was an influential English painter, printmaker, and illustrator celebrated for his fluid pen work, atmospheric compositions, and elegant draftsmanship. After abandoning legal studies in 1891 to train at Heatherley’s in London and in Paris, he became a prolific contributor to major periodicals—most notably Punch, where his graceful social satire popularized the iconic "Shepperson girl." Beyond his work for magazines like The Strand and The Tatler, Shepperson illustrated classic literary works, including Longmans’ 1902 Swan Edition of Shakespeare, H.G. Wells's The First Men in the Moon, and novelizations by Charles Dickens. Elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1919, his original watercolours, etchings, and drawings are held today in major public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, and Tate.

Condition

The drawing is in good plus condition, the paper is age-toned with a patch of foxing towards the very top edge. It is taped to the reverse to the mount which would need replacing as it has spotted foxing and linear marks from poor storage, and a 5cm closed marginal tear to the right hand side (8cm up from the bottom). However, reframed, this would be a marvellous original piece of London art.

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