- 287
John Smart 1742-1811
Description
- John Smart
- Group portrait of Sir William Middleton, Bt., of Shrubland and his family
- signed on the column: J Smart, 1786
Oil on canvas, in a contemporary carved wood frame
- 106.5 by 147.5 cm; 42 by 58 in.
Catalogue Note
The portrait shows Sir William Middleton, 1st Bt. (1748-1829) with his wife Harriet Acton whom he married in 1775, and their children, Sarah, Louise and William.
William Middleton was the son of William Middleton of Crowfield, and Middleton Place, near Charleston, South Carolina, and his wife, Sarah Wilkinson. He was created a baronet and purchased Shrubland Hall in the late 1790's. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son, William Fowle Middleton. His daughter, Sarah, married Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, Bt., the successful commander of H.M.S. Shannon over the U.S.S. Chesapeake, whose portrait was painted by Samuel Lane (sold at Sotheby's, 19 March 2003, lot 9).
John Smart was an East Anglian portrait painter who exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1786 and 1813 from an Ipswich address.