Mrs Anne Mee

wearing a black dress and a white chemise, a yellow ribbon tied in her hair, gold frame 

Ernst Holzscheiter, his sale in these Rooms, 28 March 1977, lot 14

Schidlof 1964, vol. II, p. 546, vol. IV, pl. 395, fig. 804;
Foskett 1972, vol. I, col. pl. XXVI, no. 91

Ivory ground. Overall the miniature is in very good condition. At the sitter's waist spots of impasto work have begun to craze and slightly blister. This is not evident to the naked eye.
"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 only daughter and heiress of Colonel Henry Watson, Chief Engineer in Bengal. With an annual income of £6,000, she married George Evans, 4^th Baron Carbery in August 1792. The union was childless. Two years after her first husband's death in 1804, she married George Freke of Bulgaven Hall. She died in October 1828. The essayist De Quincey described her as 'a religious woman of very fine presence and figure, having masculine and austere understanding'.  

There is another known portrait of this sitter, an oil on canvas painted by Sir William Beechey, R.A. (see Roberts 1904, p. 69).