John Varley Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Golden fields, a turn of the 19th century watercolor landscape by John Varley (British, 1778-1842), c.1800. Indistinct signature lower center left. Artwork has been professionally restored. Presented in archival matting. Unframed. Image size, 5"H x 7.13"W. With a letter from Jacob (Jack) Isaacs (1896-1973) on verso notating a John Varley watercolor circa 1800. Jacob Isaacs was born in 1896. He was educated at the Grocers' Company's School, Hackney Downs. He began his career in the civil service from 1912-1916. During the First World War he was involved in active service in France and held the rank of lieutenant (Territorial Army) as part of the Royal Garrison Artillery from 1916-1918. In 1919 Isaacs began his academic career by studying at Exeter College, Oxford, where he achieved a 1st Class Honours degree in English. From 1921-1924 he was an assistant lecturer in English at the University College of North Wales, Bangor and was later an assistant lecturer in English at King's College, University of London, 1924-1928. He progressed up to the position of lecturer in English from 1928-1942 and the moved to a position in Palestine as first Montefiore Professor of English in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from 1942-1945. Isaacs returned to England in 1945 and was Chair of English Language and Literature at Queen Mary College, University of London from 1952-1964. In 1964 Isaacs retired from his position as Chair of English Language and was appointed Professor Emeritus. John Varley (17 August 1778 - 17 November 1842) was an English watercolour painter and astrologer, and a close friend of William Blake. They collaborated in 1819-1820 on the book Visionary Heads, illustrated by Blake and written by Varley, who was the elder brother of Cornelius Varley. John Varley was born at the Old Blue Post Tavern, Hackney, on 17 August 1778. His father, Richard Varley, born at Epworth in Lincolnshire, had settled in London after the death of his first wife in Yorkshire. For a brief time John Varley was employed by a portrait painter in Holborn and then, at the age of 15 or 16, he became a pupil of Joseph Charles Barrow (fl. 1789-1802), who had an evening drawing school twice a week at 12 Furnival's Inn Court, Holborn. It was Barrow who took Varley on a sketching tour to Peterborough from which he emerged as a professional painter. In 1798 he exhibited a highly regarded sketch of Peterborough Cathedral...