After the First World War, acclaimed British war artist Paul Nash began spending his summers in Dymchurch, on the Kent coast. Describing the coastal village as “a delightful place with much inspiring material for work,” Nash began to produce some of his most celebrated work there. Executed in 1920, The Sluice is part of a group of three lithographic prints that focus on the relationship between Dymchurch and the sea. The present lot depicts the large seawall which had been designed to protect Romney Marsh from flooding, alongside one of the area’s Martello towers, which were built at the start of the 19th century to avoid a Napoleonic invasion. A remarkable example of Paul Nash’s extensive body of work and striking printmaking abilities, The Sluice confirms Nash’s rank as one of the most important British artists of the 20th century.
Dymchurch Coastguard station in 1919, flying signal flags to celebrate the end of the First World War. Provenance
Jennings Fine Art, London, 2016
Private Collection, UKLiterature
Alexander Postan L8
Frances Carey and Antony Griffiths, Avant-Garde British Printmaking 1914-1960, pp. 64-65 (no. 40)
235
The Sluice (P. L8)
1920
Lithograph, on thin wove paper, with full margins.
I. 36 x 41.3 cm (14 1/8 x 16 1/4 in.)
S. 45.8 x 58.2 cm (18 x 22 7/8 in.)
Signed, dated, and annotated 'ed. 30' in pencil, framed.
Estimate
£2,000 - 3,000
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Evening & Day Editions
London Auction 6 - 7 June 2024
