Hercules Brabazon Brabazon, 
British 1821-1906- 

Carred House, Ragusa; 

black chalk and watercolour heightened with touches of white on paper, signed with initials 'HBB' (lower right), inscribed 'Carred House / Ragusa' (lower left), bears inscription 'Brabazon Brabazon / A present from Andrew Devonshire / to Margaret Anne Stuart of Findhorn' on the backing board, 13.2 x 19.6 cm. 

Provenance: 
Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 6 August 1974, lot 158; 
where purchased by Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire (1920-2004); 
by whom gifted to Margaret Anne, Viscountess Stuart of Findhorn (1932-2023). 
Private Collection, UK (by descent). 

Note: 
Brabazon Brabazon is recorded as having travelled to Italy twice - first in 1848 where he sailed from Naples to Palermo, Gibraltar, Seville, Madrid, Bayonne, Bordeaux, and Paris; and then again in 1873-1874, with his nephew, to Nice, Bologna, Florence, Ancona, Brindisi, Alexandria, Egypt and then back to Marseilles via Naples. The artist captured the landscape of the Sicilian town of Ragusa on several occasions, including in another watercolour of similar dimensions - likely originating from the same sketchbook as the present work - which sold at Christie's, London, 25 March 1994, lot 330. 

Brabazon's work was admired for its striking modernity by figures ranging from John Ruskin (1819-1900) to John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). The present work particularly exhibits the influence of J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) on his output. This is evident in Brabazon's patent interest in the depiction of light, with his bold use of colour allowing him to effectively evoke the bright sunlight of Ragusa. Brabazon's watercolours were also informed by the extensive travels which he made throughout his lifetime, not just across Europe, but also to the Middle East, North Africa, and India. Brabazon joined the New English Art Club in 1891, with the encouragement of his friend Singer Sargent, and had his first solo exhibition at the Goupil Gallery the following year in 1892.