Philip Mercier

Miss Hartness, Wimbledon;
Galerie Cailleux, Paris, 1949;
Michael Harvard;
Sabin Galleries London;
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's London, 15th June 2000, lot 20 (bt. £55,000)

John Ingamells and R. Raines, 'A Catalogue of the Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings of Philip Mercier', Walpole Society, Vol. 46, London, 1798, p. 2, p. 60, no. 254, illus. 1c (as location unknown)

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals one area of retouching in the shoulder of the right hand figure, as well as some minor retouching to the neck of the central figure. There is further minor scattered retouching and infilling to craquelure overall. FRAME In a British Rococo carved and gilded 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."

This important early fancy piece was painted while Mercier was living in Leicester Square, shortly after he had settled there late in 1719. Mercier probably first arrived in England in 1716, and his work in the 1720s was dominated by the influence of Chardin and Watteau, the latter of whose work he was intimately acquainted with having etched a number his works. In 1724 Mercier's teacher, Antoine Pesne, had written complaining of the relative dearth of painting in the French manner to be found in London, and  the present work, dating to c.1725 with it's overtly Watteau-esque character, is a prime example of Mercier's determined efforts to introduce continental taste into English society during the early decades of the 18^th Century.

Born in Berlin in 1691, the son of Phillipe Mercier, a Huguenot tapestry weaver from the royal factory, on his arrival in England, 'recommended from the court at Hanover', Mercier presented George I with a portrait of his grandson Frederick, and spent much of the late 1720s painting commissions for the Prince of Wales. In 1729 he was appointed principal painter to the Prince, as well as page of the bedchamber and keeper of the library in 1730. At court he cultivated the patronage of Hanoverian courtiers, such as Augustus Schutz, Viscount Tyrconnel, and Sir Thomas Samwell, and Mercier can largely be credited with the introduction of the conversation piece into English portraiture, a format that was well suited to the early Georgian Whig aristocracy. 

Considering Mercier's involvement with the Hanoverian court in London the near contemporary inscription on the reverse of the present painting should not be dismissed lightly. In 1733 he is known to have painted an informal musical group of the Prince with his three sisters (versions in the Royal Collection, NPG, and at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire). While he found plentiful employment as a portrait painter Mercier produced an increasing number of such fancy pictures, manly for printing. These addressed a popular market and included subjects from domestic scenes and groups of children, to literary illustrations.