Lot 22
  • 22

William Wood

Estimate
2,500 - 3,500 GBP
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Description

  • William Wood
  • Portrait of Julia STORER, called 'Mrs JOHNSTONE'
  • signed (verso) 'by / Will. Wood / of Cork Street / London', 1799
  • watercolour with touches of bodycolour on ivory, held in a gold frame with glazed reverse
  • 7.7 by 6.3 cm.; 3 by 2 1/2 in.
with curled brown hair, wearing a white dress, sky background

Provenance

Anonymous sale, Phillips London, The Connoisseur's Cabinet, 11 July 2000, lot 383

Literature

See J. Johnstone, Confessions of Julia Johnstone, 1825;
W. Wood, Memorandum of miniatures painted and finished by William Wood of the Royal Academy, No. 5713

Condition

The miniature is preserved in good condition. For further information on this lot please contact Mark Griffith-Jones (0207 293 5083) or Emmeline Hallmark (0207 293 5407) mark.griffithjones@sotheby.com emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Wood recorded the present miniature as 'Mrs Johnstone of Charles St. Grosvenor Square fin'd 9 Nov, fine and fair complexion, plain white dress, fair brown hair, in large waves, 1800 Jan 7. Went to Arlington Street on the request of Col. Cotton [sic]'.

The sitter was the daughter of Thomas Storer of Purley Park, Berkshire and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Proby, Maid of Honour to Queen Charlotte. Whilst Julia was staying with the Cottin family as a lady's companion, she became the mistress of Colonel Josiah Cottin (see following lot) and assumed the false name 'Mrs Johnstone'. The affair resulted in several children and while under Cottin's protection she later lived in Primrose Hill. She was a rival of the notorious courtesan Harriet Wilson, who defamed her in her Memoirs published in 1825 and forced her to quickly publish the Confessions of Julia Johnstone in order to clear her slandered name.