Lot 92
  • 92

Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A.

Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A.
  • Portrait of Charles Blair
  • bust-length, wearing a red jacket and vest, with lace jabot
    oil on canvas

Provenance

Gerard Phelips of Montacute;
His sale, Christie's London, November 29, 1929, lot 47 (incorrectly as representing Henry Fane, see note);
With Thos. Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London, by whom sold on December 4, 1930, to;
Horace Trumbauer;
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's London, March 20, 1974, lot 75.

Literature

A. Graves and W. V. Cronin: A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, vol. I, London 1899, p. 88;
D. Mannings: Sir Joshua Reynolds: A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, New Haven and London, 2000, p. 91, cat. no. 184, reproduced fig. 602.

Condition

The following condition report has been provided by David Bull of Teresa Longyear David Bull Fine Art Conservation and Restoration, Inc. 173 East 80th St. New York, NY 212-439-1659, david@fineartconservation.net, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. It is considered that this painting is in good condition. The canvas has been relined at some time in the past with an aqueous adhesive. Both the lining and its adhesive are in stable condition and there is not indication of any past or present flaking or cleavage. As is typical in many Reynold's paintings, the paint and ground have developed quite a strong craquelure, but fortunately, this does not impair the quality of the painting. The hair has been slightly abraded by a past cleaning and there are some minor abrasions in the face. There is a pentimento just to the right of the sitter's neck. A thin varnish covers the surface
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Catalogue Note

This direct and arresting Portrait of Charles Blair was painted by Reynolds circa 1761/64, most likely as a highly finished study for one of his grandest and most monumental portrait groups, The Hon. Henry Fane with Inigo Jones and Charles Blair (see fig. 1, Metropolitan Museum, New York, inv. 87.16).  The finished picture is, in effect, an heroic update by Reynolds of the English conversation piece, modified for a much larger scale.  It is compositionally rather sophisticated, and a marked departure from any of his earlier group portraits.  It is not surprising, therefore, that Reynolds would have used studies and sketches to complete the work, which took him perhaps as long as four years to realize.  Reynold's pocket books for the years of 1760-64 are somewhat difficult to interpret, exacerbated by the fact that the book for 1763 is missing entirely.  There are numerous references to Mssrs. Fane and Jones over these years, again complicated by the fact that Reynolds was painting Henry Fane's father Thomas, later 8th Earl of Westmoreland.  Appointments for these same years for both a Mr. and a Capt. Blair exist; as Mannings points out, these are likely both to refer to Charles Blair, although this cannot be certain.  Sittings and notes regarding Blair run from September 19, 1761 and into 1762.  With the ledger for 1763 missing, there are two appointments in March and May of 1764.  The present portrait, no doubt painted early on during one of these sittings, was used by Reynolds as a compositional aide and was later finished off either by the artist or a colleague as an independent portrait.

 

Charles Blair had come from a Dorset family whose considerable wealth was derived from sugar plantations and the slave trade in Jamaica.  He married the daughter of Thomas, 8th Earl of Westmorland (thus becoming the brother-in-law of Henry Fane).  The Blair family's fortunes, however, did not survive into the 19th Century as robustly as before, although his direct descendant was the writer George Orwell (born Eric Blair).