John Constable, R.A.

head and shoulders, wearing a white dress and brown coat.

By descent from the sitter to Major W.H.H.C. Moubray;
by descent to Ivor Moubray-Philips by whom sold Christies, 20th November 1992, (lot 23, bt. by the present owner)

London, Tate Gallery, Constable, 1976, no.81

R. Hoozee, L'Opera Completa di Constable,  1979, no. 59;
G. Reynolds, The Early Paintings and Drawings of John Constable, R.A., 1996, Text Vol., no.08.4; Plates Vol., pl. 687

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in good condition. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals minor infilling to craquelure and a slight discolouration to the varnish. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded wooden frame.
"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 fourth daughter of William Hobson of Markfield House, Tottenham.  In September 1807 she married Robert Moubray of Cockairny and Otterson.  Robert joined the army as an Ensign in the 80^th Foot on 24^th August 1795.  He subsequently rose to the rank of Major in the 96^th Foot in October 1806 and then Major in the Sicilian Regiment in January 1809.  In 1816 he became a brevet Lieutenant Colonel.  He was posted to India, and on his return he became Deputy Lieutenant of Fife and was knighted on 20^th April 1825.  He was awarded the K.H. (Knight of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order) in 1833.

Laura Moubray's father, William Hobson, was described as a 'Bricklayer (or builder), citizen and Fishmonger' (The Builder, 11^th October 1912, p.419).  He was a major contractor of his day and made his fortune building part of the London docks and the Martello towers along the East Anglian coast.  His commercial success is attested by the grandeur of his family home, Markfield House, depicted in a drawing by Constable of 1860, and described by William Robinson as 'on an eminence on the east side of and at a distance from the high road at Stamford Hill, in the parish of Tottenham' (The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Tottenham).

Constable's introduction to the Hobson family may well have come through his friend Priscilla Wakefield, who also lived in Tottenham.  Constable stayed with the Hobsons in July of 1806 and his sketchbooks for the summer are filled with the quickly executed studies of attractive young women.  Many are named, and the name of Laura, presumably identifiable with the present sitter, is inscribed on four of the drawings.  Constable was rarely in the habit of recording interior life at such close quarters, and the volume of character sketches which Constable made throughout 1806 reflects the comfortable and intimate friendship which he had clearly established with the family.

In 1807, the year before the execution of this fully worked oil, Constable had been asked by the Earl of Dysart to make a number of copies of his pictures.  These copies were chiefly after Sir Joshua Reynolds, and as Leslie remarked 'although it is to be regretted that much of his time should have been spent on any but original works, yet he no doubt derived improvement in his taste for colour and chiaroscuro by his intimate communion with so great a master of both' (C.R.Leslie, Memoirs of the Life of John Constable Esq., R.A., 1845, p.20)  The present work captures this dramatic chiaroscuro,  and illustrates the increased confidence which Constable felt with the genre of portraiture.  Constable's portraits remain a lesser known aspect of his oeuvre, not least due to their comparative rarity, and due to Constable's desire only to paint members of his family or those he knew well.  There has been a steady growth of interest, however, in this dimension of Constable's skill, culminating in the recent major exhibition of Constable's work in Paris – 'le Choix de Lucen Freud'.  This exhibition highlighted Constable as an artist with an abiding interest in portraiture and the present work remains an intimate and a potent example of Constable's early work.