Thomas Gainsborough, R.A.

John Bowman, Langford House, Clifton, Bristol, 1880;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 19 March 1904, lot 107 to Rutley;
With Agnew's, London;
Purchased from the above in c.1905 by Frederick David Sassoon (1853-1917) for 2650 gns.;
Frederick David Sassoon (1853-1917)
By descent to his daughter Mrs. Paul Wallraf, formerly Muriel Ezra, first wife of Alfred Ezra OBE of Foxwarren Park, Cobham, Surrey;
By descent to Mrs. Raymond Sawyer, née Ruth Ezra, of Chestnut Lodge, Cobham, Surrey.

London, Royal Academy, Exhibition of the Works of the Old Masters, 1880, no. 21 (as lent by John Bowman).

G. W. Fulcher, The Life of Gainsborough, London and Sudbury 1856, 1st edition p. 222, 2nd edition p. 226;
E.K. Waterhouse, Gainsborough, London 1958, no. 575, p. 87;
D. Sutton, "Works of Art from the Paul Wallraf Collection", in Connoisseur, June 1961, p. 6, no. 7 (reproduced);
To be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Gainsborough's portraits by Hugh Belsey.

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good overall condition, with no apparent damage or loss of paint and retains a strong impasto, particularly in the white highlights of the lace collar and in the flowers. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light confirms the good condition of the picture and reveals it to be largely untouched. There is some scattered minor old retouching, predominantly along the lower edge, as well as to a very small area of damage lower right, as well as evidence of an old minor repair in the background, centre right, measuring approx. 2 in. There is an old discoloured and opaque varnish overall. FRAME Held in an ornate carved gilt wood frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com, or Ludo Shaw Stewart on +44 (0)207 293 5816, or at ludovic.shawstewart@sothebys.com.
"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."

ENGRAVED:
Mezzotint by J. Spilsbury, 1768 (as 'The Beautiful Florist')

A striking beauty, well known to contemporaries for her good looks and Spanish origins, the sitter was stated in 1856 to be the wife of a Mr. Richards, first violinist of the Drury Lane Theatre Orchestra. This is probably David Richards (d.1802), who is recorded playing at Drury Lane, as well as the Theatre Royal in Bristol.¹ The manager of Drury Lane was Gainsborough's close friend, the actor and producer David Garrick, and it was presumably through Garrick that Mrs. Richards was introduced to the artist. The picture was painted in 1768, at the height of Gainsborough's period in Bath, one year before he was invited to become a foundation member of the Royal Academy. It successfully captures the fluidity and boldness of his portraits of this period and shows the artist moving away from the primitive realism of his Ipswich years towards the soft elegant grandeur that characterises his later work. Derived from van Dyck, this new approach was marked by a distinctive bravura technique and freedom of brushwork that anticipates the work of the impressionists, imbuing his sitter's with a glamour that would become the hallmark of British Grand Manner portraiture.

We are grateful to Hugh Belsey for his assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.

1. See P. Highfill Jr, K. A. Burman and E. Langhans, A Biographical Dictionary of Actors . . . Carbondale & Edwardsville, 16 volumes 1973–1993, XII, pp. 355–56.