A curious one, signed John Burton, dated 1830, and which I purchased from a British seller from a collection of works related to the Burton family of Clifton House, near Corofin, Country Clare, Ireland. John Burton was the brother of the eminent Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir Fredric William Burton, also known for his work as the director of the National Gallery in London (1874-94) during a major period of collection building.
A little research lead me to discover that this drawing must have been made after a woodcut first published as a plate in Thomas Hood's Whims and Oddities: in prose and verse, 1826-7. The text that follows the image in Hood's book begins: "COME O ER THE SEA. 98 FANCIES ON A TEA-CUP" and goes on to ponder imagery on imported Chinese porcelain ("I love to pore upon old china—and to speculate, from the images, on Cathay")--which makes me wonder whether the original inspiration for the drawing was an image first painted on a teacup???
In an event, a pretty great little drawing, nearly 200 years old, black ink on white wove with a Page Highgate watermark at upper left. Very faint crease lines at lower corners and a bit of age toning but overall very good condition.
7 1/2" x 6 1/4".
