Allan Ramsay

By descent at Wentworth Castle to Captain B.C. Vernon-Wentworth;
His sale, London, Christie's 13 November 1919, lot 95 (to D. Croal Thomson for £300);
D. Croal Thomson;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's 20 May 1927, lot 112 (to Leggatt for £170);
With Leggatt Brothers, London;
Sir George Sutherland;
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Edinburgh, Scottish Print Club, 1928, no. 18 (lent by Sir George H. Sutherland).

J. L. Caw, 'Allan Ramsay, Portrait Painter', in Walpole Society, XXV, London 1937, plate XIX(b), p. 46;
A. Smart, The Life and Art of Alan Ramsay, London 1952, pp. 44, 213 (cxxxiii);
A. Smart, Allan Ramsay: A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, London 1999, reproduced fig. 123, p. 191.

The painting is warmer in colour and softer and lighter in terms of tone and contrast than the catalogue illustration would suggest. The canvas has been relined and as a result the paint is thin in the darker pigments of the peripheral areas. The picture is otherwise in good overall condition with no damage or loss of paint apart from a very minor fleck of paint loss in the background upper left and there is a very minor and slight life caused by a now stable craqelure above the forearm centre right. There is a discoloured varnish and surface dirt overall which includes two very minor flecks of white paint centre left. Examination under ultraviolet confirms the presence of the discoloured varnish which makes inspection difficult. There is evidence of some old minor scattered retouching in the background as well as strengthening to the hair and flecks of retouching to the jawline in addition to some very minor work in the decolletage. There is also evidence of old infilling to the craquelure in the lower half of the painting. Overall the picutre is in good country house condition. Offered in a gilt wood and plaster frame in good overall condition.
"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 third daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1^stEarl of Strafford (1672-1739) and his wife Anne Johnson daughter of Sir Henry Johnson, M. P. for Aldeburgh. Her father was a distinguished soldier who told Marlborough that he ‘often repented the hour I left the army’ and who became an influential diplomat both in Prussia and in the United Provinces. In 1743 she married Henry Vernon (1718-1765), M. P. for Lichfield (1754-1761) and for Newcastle under Lyme (1761-1762). They lived at Hilton Park in Staffordshire.

 

This elegant portrait dates from Ramsay’s early days in London where, following his return from Italy in 1738, he took apartments in Covent Garden. He already had a considerable reputation and Alexander Gordon wrote to Sir John Clerk on 7^th December that Ramsay was ‘one of the first rate portrait painters in London, nay I may say in Europe’ and within a few years was painting such imposing full length portraits as those of the 2^nd Duke of Argyll and the Binning children (both private collection). By 1742 when this portrait was painted he had few rivals and in his famous phrase had put visiting French and Italian painters to flight and was himself playing ‘first fiddle’.