- 196
John Singleton Copley
Description
- John Singleton Copley
- John Wombwell (d.1795) with a grey hunter
- oil on canvas
Provenance
With Kennedy Galleries, New York.
Condition
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
John Singleton Copley was the greatest American artist of the colonial period. In 1774, at the outbreak of the American Revolution, he came to London. This portrait of Wombwell, the brother of Sir George Wombwell, 1st Bt., with its free, luscious brushwork and beautiful sense of bold colour, dates from his English period. Copley studied in Italy in 1774-5, and the sunset over mountains, which gives such vividness to the background of this equestrian portrait, reflects his knowledge of Old Masters such as Titian. In its free, painterly handling, this work can be compared to Copley's portrait of The Three Youngest Daughters of George III, RA 1785 (Royal Collection), which also has a sunset landscape. Copley made a number of equestrian portraits, including Colonel Fitch saying Farewell to his Sisters, the Misses Fitch, 1800-1 (National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; see Jules Prown, John Singleton Copley in England 1774-1815, pp.410-420, illus. pl.635) and George, Prince of Wales (later George IV), 1804-10 (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; see Prown p.420, illus. pl.661).