Sir Thomas Lawrence P.R.A. and Studio

Said to have been commissioned from the artist by the sitter's father, Mr. Gibbon;
With Fischoff, Paris (according to the 1929 American Art Association sales catalogue [see below]);
With Blakeslee Galleries, New York;
From whom acquired by Mr. George J. Gould, New York, February 1899 (according to the family), and thence by inheritence to;
Edith Kingdon Gould;
By whose estate sold (Property from the Estate of Edith Kingdon Gould), New York, American Art Association, Inc., 10 January 1929, lot 40 (as Sir Thomas Lawrence P.R.A);
Where bought back by a member of the Gould family, and thence by descent to the present owner.

New York, Blakeslee Galleries, Early English, Dutch and Flemish Paintings, 1899, no. 4 (as Sir Thomas Lawrence, Mrs. Gibbon as Miranda, in the collection of George J. Gould).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This impressive painting has probably not been restored for some time however, through past cleanings some of the darker and more sensitive colors have weakened and some abrasion is now visible. In many areas the painting does not show any retouches. There are retouches addressing some thinness to the paint layer in the upper sky on the right and left and in the darker colors on either side of the legs. Elsewhere the thinness seems to be clearly visible. The painting should be cleaned since proper retouching will result in a spectacular image which although retouched, will nonetheless be impressive.
"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."

This beautiful and impressive portrait has been in the same family collection since the end of the nineteenth century.  Said to depict an actress by the name of Miss Gibbon, the portrait depicts a regal young woman walking along a beach in the guise of Shakespeare's heroine Miranda in The Tempest.  In the distance, the ship that brings Antonio, Alonso, Sebastian and Ferdinand to the deserted island that Miranda shares with her sorcerer father Prospero, can be seen floundering the waves conjured by Prospero's magic.