Strauss & co - 8 October 2009, Cape Town

120 253 Andrew Arthur Anderson S OUTH A FRICAN FL . C 1850-1896 Pretoria Transvaal Beleaguered, 12 January 1881 signed, inscribed with the title, and ‘copyright retained’ watercolour 32 by 65cm R50 000 – 70 000 Scottish born Anderson came to South Africa in the 1850s and travelled extensively in southern Africa, recording his travels in a two volume work, Twenty-five Years in a Wagon in the Gold Regions of Africa, London, 1887. He served with the British forces in the Zulu War of 1878-1879 and in the First Anglo-Boer War of 1880-1881. The first war between the Transvaal Republic and England lasted from December 1880 to March 1881. The war was caused by the annexation of the Transvaal in January 1877 by the British authorities represented by Sir Theophilus Shepstone and the refusal of the Transvaal Boers to submit to British authority. In mid December 1880 several British garrisons were surrounded and Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg and Lydenburg were all consequently besieged. British attempts to relieve the besieged garrisons met with fierce resistance and severe losses were suffered. Just three months later, on 6 March 1881, a provisional armistice was agreed upon and the British government recognized the Boer leaders. Final agreement was reached on 23 March 1881.