Thomas Gainsborough, R.A.

Presumably descended in the Selby-Lowndes family to William Selby-Lownes, Waddon Hall, by descent to an anonymous lady;
her sale, London, Sotheby's, 11th July 1984, lot 48 (bt. for £5,500 by Mrs Charles Mills);
Mrs Charles Mills, Hilborough Hall, Norfolk;
her posthumous sale, London, Chistie's, 22nd November 1985, lot 110 (bt. for £4,860 by Lady Leigh);
thence by descent to the present owner

To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raissoné of the portraits of Thomas Gainsborough by Hugh Belsey

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition with no apparent damage or loss of paint and there is still a textured impasto in the gold braiding of the sitters' costume. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light confirms reveals scattered minor retouching in the background throughout, there is also strengthening to the sitter's shoulder and in the flesh tones of the face particularly to the far side of the right hand eye. There is one further area of minor retouching in the centre of the sitter's costume. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded wood frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com, or Ludo Shaw Stewart on +44 (0)207 293 5816, or at ludovic.shawstewart@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."

The sitter was the eldest son of Robert Lowndes, a minister to Queen Anne and one of the founders of the Bank of England, and his wife Margaret. He lived at the family seat at Waddon Hall, Winslow, and served as High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire from 1738-39 and Member of Parliament from 1741 until 1774.

Though this picture does not appear in any literature John Hayes saw it in 1984 and confirmed the attribution at the time of the Sotheby's sale. The sitter appears in the published list of visitors to Bath in 1759, whilst the artist was resident in the city, and it appears that this would be a likely date for the painting.

We are grateful to Hugh Belsey for his assistance with the cataloguing of this lot, and for confirming the attribution of the painting on the basis of photographs.