Studio of Allan Ramsay

George John Yarburgh (1811-1875), Heslington Hall;
thence by direct descent to Stephen Nicholas de Yarburgh-Bateson (1903-1964), 5th Baron Deramore, who lent the picture to Ampleforth; at the death of Lord Deramore the painting was acquired by the Abbey

A. Smart, Allan Ramsay: A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, New Haven and London 1999, no. 192dq, p. 119

The following condition reports are provided by Rebecca Gregg who is an external restorer and not an employee of Sotheby's. Portrait of George III The original canvas appears in relatively good condition. The overall tension is good, the stretcher is sound and all the keys are present. There are two faint horizontal depressions running the width of the painting, these are located 71cm from the upper and the 81cm from the lower edge. There are small localised planar deformations along the lower edge that appear to be due to debris behind the stretcher bar. There are multiple small canvas patches attached to the reverse, these have frayed edges to minimise the planar distortion on the canvas layers. The paint layers appear in a relatively good condition. The stretcher bar marks along the top and right edges have become slightly prominent, however the raised paint present appears stable and the adhesion between the paint and ground layers and the support appears good. There is a scratch to the varnish and paint surface in the lower left corner. There are multiple areas of over-paint present from previous restoration campaign. In this case the over-paint appears excessive in some of these areas and to cover original paint. In particular in the centre of the top quadrant where distinct brushstrokes can be observed under ultra violet examination rather than the specific damage which appears significantly smaller. There is a secondary campaign visible beneath the varnish layers and an area of glazing beneath the sitter's chin. There is a thickly applied, strongly fluorescing varnish layer present. There are a series of minor splashes visible in the upper right quadrant and a light layer of surface dirt and dust. The painting was examined in the frame. Portrait of Queen Charlotte The original canvas appears in a good condition, the overall tension is good, the stretcher is sound and all the keys are present. There is a small corner drawer in the upper left corner. There are two faint horizontal depressions running the width of the painting, these are located 70cm from the upper and 81cm from the lower edge. There are multiple patches of canvas attached to the reverse with thickly applied adhesive. These have frayed edges to minimize the impact of any planar deformations on the front of the canvas. The most significant of these are marked with chalk. The paint layers appear in relatively good condition. There are no recent damages or loss and the adhesion between the paint and ground layers and the support appears good. There are losses present which have been repaired and retouched during a previous restoration campaign. These losses appear distinct and the over-paint is predominantly limited to the area of damage. There is a thick and strongly fluorescing natural resin varnish layer present. This has a slightly patchy and mottled appearance across the sitter's face and is visually disturbing. There is a scratch in the surface of the varnish in the lower left quadrant. There is a fine layer of surface dirt and dust. The painting was examined in the frame.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The present paintings are versions of the official portraits of the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace (Royal Collection), painted circa 1761-2. The Royal couple are depicted in the robes they wore at their Coronation, on 22^nd September 1761.