Cotmania. Vol. VI. 1930-31

Oct 6th. 1930. I went to Foster's, Pall Mall, to return the catalogue of J.
Constable's engravings etc May 11.12.13. 1838, which Foster's had
lent me. I saw a 'Cotman' w.c (lot 35) Trees, Castle
in far distance, on crinkly paper. I thought it was an essay
by a Cotman admirer, e.g. [ ], done in the '70's - paper,
colour & composition were all later than the Cotman studio
period. Paul Oppé wrote, 8.10.30, as follows-

I was trying to get hold of you yesterday. At the
RIBA they said that you had been there on Monday; at the
Art club that they expected you in the evening. However
they were disappointed , it seems. You were occupied with
other obscenities. And you missed another of the world's
worst Cotman. It was at Foster's among dealer's throwouts, but
being inscribed with he name Cotman, in a handwriting
much like J.J.C's, on the back, it had got itself into
the catalogue. It is a woodland study, more or less sun-
set, early, evidently unfinished but so clumsy & so
heavy in pigment that it appears to be, or probably is, gone
over by another hand. I have now the theory that J.S.
turned over his early failure to Miles or Anne when
they were scarcely out of their cradles or that they
tried their infant hands upon them... Anyhow, after
a neck & neck struggle between Samuel & Crook, the
latter won at about £5