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• Auction House:
  Webb's
• Sale Name:
  Important Paintings and Contemporary Art
• Sale Date:
  06 Dec 2011 ~ 6.30pm (NZ Time)
• Lot #:
  56
• Lot Description:
  Horace Moore Jones
  Horace Moore Jones, Table Top, Gallipoli, 1914 Although dated August 1914, Table Top, Gallipoli by Horace Moore Jones is likely to have been
  watercolour, ink wash and graphite on paper
  315mm x 227mm
  signed Sapper Moore Jones and dated August 1914
• Provenance:
  From the collection of Fred Deans who served at Gallipoli with the artist. Passed by descent to Alfred Amory John Deans (John Deans) and gifted to the current owner. A partial gift from the artist to Fred Deans on the occasion of his wedding held on 25
• Notes:
  Horace Moore Jones, Table Top, Gallipoli, 1914 Although dated August 1914, Table Top, Gallipoli by Horace Moore Jones is likely to have been painted in August 1915 and to have been incorrectly dated by the artist at the time of completion. The ANZACs landed on Gallipoli peninsula on 25 April 1915 to join the Allied troops in the nine-month battle against the Ottoman Empire for possession of the strategic peninsula. The title of Moore Jones' painting refers to an actual location of a successful battle by New Zealand troops in Gallipoli. Table Top is a flat-topped hill at the base of Rhododendron Spur and just south of the narrow valley of Chailak Dere, which is likely to be the basin that is shown in Moore Jones' painting. It was successfully captured by the Wellington Mounted Rifles on the night of 6 August 1915 in preparation for the attack on Chunuk Bair. Table Top, Gallipoli is undoubtedly the work of Moore Jones and the likelihood of the artist having incorrectly dated the painting is reinforced by a note that accompanies the work, which states that the painting is the hand of Moore Jones who gifted it as a wedding gift to a friend, Fred Deans, who was getting married on 25 September 1917 - the anniversary of Moore Jones' own wedding. It is probable that the original owner, Fred Deans, who fought alongside Moore Jones at Gallipoli is one of the infantrymen who are depicted in the painting. The note also reiterates historical fact and links the events of the campaign to the specifics of the scene depicted, which shows the position taken by the No. 2 Troup (sic) of the 9th W.M.R. (Wellington Mounted Rifles) on Aug 7th 1915, lead thro' the gulley by Serg. Max Christie followed by Fred Deans. Silently, near midnight, single file. The position was recognised as impractical for infantry, butthe scarped heights were scales and the plateau was carried by midnight. Thus, Moore Jones' Table Top, Gallipoli honours the victorious night battle staged by New Zealand troops during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I. The towering escarpment with its sharply barren face takes up the majority of Moore Jones' painting while the single file of infantry is just discernable amongst the shadowed foliage. Tracing the central line of the valley, the helmeted heads of the trail of soldiers are seen inching slowly towards the steep rise of the cliffs. Dwarfed by the rocky heights of this inhospitable environ, small infantrymen are seen quietly advancing through the painting; for example, there is a lone soldier just visible in the shrubbery above Moore Jones' signature. Table Top, Gallipoli is testament to Moore Jones' skill as a draughtsman, as the work is executed with a paucity of line and with thin washes of pigment that poignantly evoke the trepidation, excitement and quietude that would have accompanied that specific night. Although Gallipoli was ultimately an unsuccessful and costly campaign, it remains seared into the national identity as a defining historical moment for the young nation. Gallipoli was the first time that New Zealand fought on an international scale and it was also the first time that New Zealand entered the military history books as having tough and resilient soldiers fighting for global good in a foreign and hostile environment. It is this fighting spirit, sense of camaraderie and international unity that Moore Jones' Table Top, Gallipoli ultimately commemorates. JEMMA FIELD
• Estimate:
  NZ$10,000 - 15,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.