LAURENCE STEPHEN LOWRY (BRITISH 1887-1976) ON THE THAMES AT GREENWICH Pencil Signed and dated 1960 (lower left); further signed, titled and dated (to backboard) 24.5 x 35cm (9½ x 13¾ in.) Provenance: Probably The Piccadilly Gallery, London (purchased in the 1960s by the family of the present owner) Thence by descent Although Lowry was a regular visitor to London, he painted very few pictures of the city. However, there are a handful of views dating mostly from the late 1950s and early 1960s in which he depicts the capital. The most famous views are those of Piccadilly Circus, but he was also drawn to the river and there are a number of views of Greenwich and the surrounding area. The National Maritime Museum holds a view of Deptford power station from Greenwich, painted just a year before the present work, in 1959. The current drawing gives only an impression of the buildings along the shore, with the exception of one of Lowry's favourite motifs, the tall chimney, to the right of the composition. Otherwise, the view is dominated by a plethora of small boats jostling for position in the busy waterway.