Nathaniel Dance R. A.

Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Bart. (1723-1796), Vache, Buckinghamshire;
Thence by inheritance;
Major H.J.W. Farrell Palliser;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, April 25, 1913, lot 95 to Agnew;
With Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, inv. no. 4211, by whom sold in September 1916 to Knoedler;
With Knoedler & Co., stock no. 13950, by whom sold in December 1927 to
William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), Los Angeles, California;
By whom given in 1946 to Marion Davies (1897-1961), Los Angeles, California; 
By whom given in 1946 to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles (acc. no. 46.1.2).

London, The South Kensington Museum, The Second Special Exhibition of National Portraits Commencing with the Reign of William and Mary and Ending with the Year MDCCC, May 1867, cat. no. 733 (lent by Sir H. Palliser);
Portland, Oregon, Oregon Historical Society, Captain Cook, R.N. The Resolute Mariner.  An International Record of Oceanic Discovery, July 1, 1974 - January 1, 1975, cat. no. 3;
Santa Barbara, California, University Art Museum, The Anglo-American Artist in Italy, 1750-1820, March 7 - May 9, 1982, cat. no. 18.

Lady Victoria Manners, "Fresh Light on Nathaniel Dance, R.A. (Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, Bart.)", in The Connoisseur, LXV (January 1927), no. 257, p. 33, reproduced (as formerly with Knoedler, but location unknown);
J.W. Scobell Armstrong, "The New Light on Nathaniel Dance, R.A." in The Connoisseur, XCIII (March 1934), no. 391, p. 147;
D.A. Goodreau, Nathaniel Dance, R.A. (1735-1811), Ph.D dissertation, Los Angeles 1973, p. 302, as painted circa 1768-69;
T. Vaughan and A.A. St. C.M. Murray-Oliver, Captain Cook, R.N. The Resolute Mariner.  An International Record of Oceanic Discovery, exhibition catalogue, Portland 1974, p. 10, cat. no. 3;
C.R. Walker, et. al, The Anglo-American Artist in Italy, 1750-1820, exhibition catalogue, Santa Barbara 1982, pp. 63-64, no. 18;
S. Schaefer,et al. European Painting and Sculpture in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,  Los Angeles 1987, p. 33, reproduced.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. Considering the all too common condition issues to be found in 18th century English portraiture, this picture is a welcome relief and is in beautiful condition. The canvas is lined. The paint layer is stable and very nicely textured in the brocade and in the hilt of the sword. The paint layer is clean and lightly varnished, and the picture could be hung as is. There are a few very random restorations visible to the naked eye, a few spots in the sky and in the upper sky particularly around the head of the figure, but these are not numerous and they are most likely "flyspecks". In the face itself there are a few little marks in the shadowed area on the right side of the face which correspond to retouches and in the water by the ship there is a scratch. Essentially the restorations are practically non existent and although they could be reexamined, the picture could be hung as is.
"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."

Sir Hugh Palliser was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.  From 1764-1766, Palliser was Governor and Commander-in-Chief at Newfoundland.  In 1770 he was appointed Comptroller of the Navy and eight years later served second-in-command to Augustus Keppel at the indecisive Battle of Ushant, July 24-27, 1778, in which the French fleets were frustratingly able to escape those of the British without being defeated.  The conflicting accounts of Palliser's conduct under Keppel - whether the escape of the French was due to Palliser's disobeying his chief or whether it was due to Keppel's own misconduct in the battle - and the ensuing (very public) court martial, which Palliser lost, resulted in Palliser's resignation from his previous appointments.  In 1782, thanks to the support of his patron, the Earl of Sandwich, Palliser was appointed Governor of Greenwich Hospital, though he was never reinstated to his other offices. 

The present portrait may be dated to circa 1768-69 on the basis of the style of Palliser's uniform, which was introduced in 1767, and the ship seen here in the background, which is most likely the Guernsey, Palliser's ship when he was Commander-in-chief and Governor of Newfoundland.  The Guernsey was a fourth Rate of twenty-eight guns, and was no longer in use by April 1769, after which date Palliser was ashore for some time.

A copy of the present portrait, attributed to the younger brother of Nathaniel, George Dance, is now in the National Maritime Museum, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection.  That portrait, which the artist extended to full-length, was given to the Collection in 1825 by Sir Hugh Palliser Palliser, 3rd Bart., great-grandnephew of Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser.