WHERE SHATTERED MOUNTAINS LIE and STUDY FOR THE SOUL’S JOURNEY / THE SOUL’S AWAKENING.

The paintings are listed together because they both depict the same mountain range and the general treatment appears similar.

WHERE SHATTERED MOUNTAINS LIE.

Images: Christie’s catalogue, 14 Jun 1991.

  • Title(s): Where Shattered Mountains lie (Royal Academy, 1930; 1930 catalogue); Where Sheltered Mountains Lie (1991 & 1994 auctions).
  • Description: a mountain scene (Sprone Maraoni, 40 mi/60 km SE of Rome, Italy).
  • Media: oil on canvas (1991 & 1994 auctions).
  • Dimensions: “25 in by 49 in” (1930 catalogue); 66 x 126 cm (Phillip’s 1991); “64.8 x 125.6 cm. (25.5 x 49.4 in.)” (1991 & 1994 auctions).
  • Signature/date/other text: “Oil/canvas / 66 x 126 cm / Title / verso” (Phillip’s, 1991); “signed, dated, inscribed” (Christie’s, 1994).
  • History:
    • 1930 – Exhibited Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, no. 267 (1930 catalogue).
    • 1931 – Exhibited Aberdeen (1930 catalogue).
    • Date? – Exhibited Manchester (1930 catalogue).
    • 1934 – Auctioned Christie, Mason and Woods, 9 Feb, lot 66, “”WHERE SHATTERED MOUNTAINS LIE” / 25 in. by 49 in. / Exhibited in Aberdeen, 1931 / Exhibited in Manchester” (1930 catalogue).
    • 1991 – Auctioned Phillip’s, London, 6 Mar, lot 91, “Oil/canvas / 66 x 126 cm / Title / verso”, sold: hammer £364.
    • 1991 – Auctioned 14 Jun, “WHERE SHELTERED MOUNTAINS LIE, 1930 … 64.8 x 125.6 cm. (25.5 x 49.4 in.)”.
    • 1994 – Auctioned 3 Jun, “Where sheltered Mountains Lie, 1930 / 64.8 x 125.6 cm. (25.5 x 49.4 in.)”.
    • 1994 – Auctioned 11 Aug, “Where sheltered Mountains Lie, 1930 / 64.8 x 125.6 cm. (25.5 x 49.4 in.”.
    • 1994 – Auctioned Christie’s, South Kensington, 20 Oct, lot 133, “Where Sheltered Mountains Lie / 1930 / Oil on canvas / 64.8 x 125.6 cm. (25.5 x 49.4 in.) / signed, dated, inscribed”, sold: £360.
  • Location: ?

Sometimes named ‘Where Sheltered Mountains Lie,’ but ‘shattered’ is the word used by the Royal Academy, 1930, and in the 1934 posthumous studio sale catalogue so is used here.

STUDY FOR THE SOUL’S JOURNEY.

Image: Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

This work is usually referred to as simply ‘The Soul’s Journey’, but is called ‘Study for The Soul’s Journey’ in 1923 Manchester exhibition catalogue, so that is the title used on this web site.

The fact that the mountains in the two paintings form a continuum and the similarity of execution, suggests that the two works were painted during the same period (early 1920s?).

souls-shattered-gif

mountains-composite-hugin'd

Combining the images suggests that the figure in Study for The Soul’s Journey may have originally been central, or that Where Shattered Mountains Lie may similarly have once been a larger work.

The mountain is Sprone Maraoni (41.639209N/13.171651E, what3words:crux.gush.experienced, 1300 m/4280 feet), viewed from the vicinity of Ferentino, 40 miles / 60 km south-east of Rome: earth.google.com.

Image: Google Earth.

Thanks to Grant Waters for information on the auction history of  ‘Study for The Soul’s Journey’ and other research.

Page last updated 13 Sep 2025: catalogue scan for ‘Shattered Mountains’.