Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.

Acquired from the artist by Sir Lawrence Dundas. 1^st Bt. (1710-1781);
By descent to his son, Sir Thomas Dundas, 2^nd Bt. and 1^st Baron Dundas (1741-1820);
By descent to his son Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Baron Dundas and 1st Earl of Zetland (1766-1839);
By descent to his son, Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland (1795-1873);
By descent to his nephew, Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Earl and 1st Marquess of Zetland (1844-1929);
His sale, London, Christie's, 27 April 1934, lot 123, for 740 gns., to Collins;
Acquired by William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (1879-1954), circa 1935;
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Perhaps London, British Institution, 1813, no. 86 (as Portrait of a Gentleman, lent by Lord Dundas);
London, British Institution, 1845, no. 138.

Sir W. Armstrong, Reynolds, London 1900, p. 209;
A. Graves and W.V. Cronin, Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., London 1899, vol. II, pp. 411-412;
D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, New Haven and London 2000, text vol., pp. 232-3, no. 797, plates vol., p. 345, fig. 769.

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in exceptionally good condition with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint, and is much more vibrant than it appears in the catalogue illustration. There remains a pronounced impasto in the white highlights, despite the relining, the pigments remain bold and the colour strong. There is a discoloured dirty old varnish overall. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light confirms the opacity of the discoloured old varnish and reveals a small number of very minor scattered old retouchings. These retouchings consist of minor strengthening to the outline of the sitter's hair on the left hand side, a small number of flecks of minor retouching to the forehead and then scattered minor retouchings to a few areas in the background. The picture therefore appears to be in very good, almost untouched original condition. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded Carlo Maratta style 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.
"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."

ENGRAVED
By G. Clint, published 1st November 1805;
By S. W. Reynolds, 1820. 

The sitter was the youngest son of John Haldane, M.P. (1660-1721), and his second wife, Helen, only daughter of Sir Charles Erskine of Alva, 1^st Bt. (1643-1690), ninth son of the Earl of Mar. On 29^th September 1742 he married Elizabeth (d.1799), daughter of Sir William Oglander, 3^rd Bt. (c.1680-1734) of Nunwell, Isle of White. Haldane made a fortune in the service of the East India Company, and was reputedly the first Scotsman to command an East India Company ship. Between 1758 and 1761 he served as Member of Parliament for the Stirling Burghs, and held the title of Provost of Inverkeithing in 1760, and again between 1767 and 1768. In 1760 he acquired Gleneagles, in Perthshire, from his half-brother, Patrick. Patrick had been forced to sell the house in order to discharge the debts incurred by his son, Brigadier General George Haldane, Governor of Jamaica, who had died in Jamaica the previous year, and of whom Reynolds painted a portrait in 1758 (Private Collection).

This portrait, for which payment of fifty guineas is recorded in Reynolds's account book on 8^th August 1764, was given by the sitter to his great friend Sir Lawrence Dundas, 1^st Bt. (c.1710-1781), the Scottish businessman, landowner and politician. Known as 'the Nabob of the North', in 1763 Dundas bought Aske Hall in North Yorkshire, employing John Carr to substantially remodel the house, transforming it into one of the greatest Georgian houses in the North of England. This picture was presumably intended as as part of the extensive redecoration at Aske, and descended there in the ownership of Dundas's descendants, the Earls of Zetland. 

Reynolds had previously painted a very similar version of this picture for Haldane himself, which was retained by his family (Private Collection). That picture has been much repainted, and as such the present work is the best surviving record of the original commission, which is much inspired by Reynolds's full length portrait of Admiral Keppel, painted in 1752-3 (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich). The pose also echoes that of Captain Lockhart Rosse (Private Collection), painted perhaps one or two years earlier than Haldane's portrait. Fifty guineas was the full price at this period for an original picture of this size by Reynolds, rather than a studio copy, and the autograph quality of the picture no doubt reflects the importance of Sir Lawrence Dundas as a patron and art collector.