Since his death in 2003, there has been a resurgence in interest in the work of Patrick Procktor (1936-2003). In the 1960s, Procktor was heralded as part of an upcoming group of artists. In 1964, Whitechapel Gallery included his work in an exhibition of work by twelve young artists including David Hockney, Patrick Caulfield, John Hoyand and Bridget Riley entitled The New Generation.

In 1967, after being presented with a box of watercolours by David Hockney, Procktor began to work primarily in watercolours and was soon lauded as one of the greatest watercolourists of his generation. Procktor was also a talented printmaker, using aquatint and etching to replicate the delicate effect of the watercolour painting he was celebrated for. He spent much of the 1970s and early 1980s travelling the world and he produced prints of several of the watercolours he painted during his travels.

The watercolour comes from the Estate of Richard Shepherd, C.B.E (1945-2022) - renowned Michelin-starred chef who joined forces with Michael Caine and Peter Langan in 1977 to run Langan’s Brasserie in Mayfair, at its peak the most fashionable destination in London. Caine recalled, “After a few months of working with [Langan] I realised I needed a chef who was not only brilliant but also sober, which was how Richard Shepherd became the chef and third partner at Langan’s.” A wonderful drawing of the three of them by Hockney in 1973 was sold at Sotheby's London (26 June 2018, lot 24). After Langan’s death in 1988, Shepherd took over the running of the business. He co-founded the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and was awarded a CBE for services to the catering industry in 2000.