Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A.

Believed to have been presented as a wedding gift to General Sir Oliver Leese (1894-1978) and his wife Margaret Leicester-Warren in 1933;
Thence by descent.

K. Garlick, 'A catalogue of the paintings, drawings and pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence', Walpole Society, Vol. XXXIX, 1960-1962, p. 62;
K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence: A complete catalogue of the oil paintings, Oxford 1989, pp. 174-5, no. 222 Sketch (illus.)

The painting is slightly darker in tone and more lively in colour than the catalogue illustration would suggest. The canvas has been lined and the paint surface appears to be in very good overall condition with no apparent damage or loss of paint. The paint surface does not appear to have been compromised by the relining in terms of texture as there remain nice threads of impasto, however the weave of the canvas is faintly visible upon close inspection. There are three small areas of discolouration on either side of the face as can bee seen in the catalogue illustration. These appear to be original however it would appear that the left most mark has been strengthened as it is more pronounced. Examination under ultrviolet light reveals very minor retouching, most notable at the canvas edge at the top of the oval. Elsewhere there appears to have been minor strengthening to the aforementioned mark as well as to the darker pigments of the hair and there are very minor flecks of localised retouching to her cheeks. Overall though all retouching appears to be cosmetic and the picture appears ot be in very good overall condition. Offered in a rectangular gilt wood frame in very good condition inlaid with plain wood slips to form the oval. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com.
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The sitter was the daughter of Fulke Greville (1717-1806), Envoy Extraordinary to the Elector of Bavaria, and his wife Frances Macartney (c.1724-1789), the Irish poet and Georgian celebrity. She was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, and in 1766 married the politician John Crewe, later 1st Baron Crewe (1742-1829), of Crewe Hall in Cheshire. Following in her mother's footsteps she was one of her generation's foremost society hostesses and entertained lavishly at her husband's seat in Cheshire, as well as at her villa at Hampstead. Charles James Fox, who much admired her, Burke, Sheridan, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Canning were all frequent visitors, and she was a close friend of the musician Charles Burney, as well as his novelist daughter Sarah Burney, and the author Hester Thrale. Sheridan dedicated his 1777 play School for Scandal to her, which was first performed at the Drury Lane Theare in May that year, and she was painted on a number of occasions by both Reynolds and Gainsborough, as well as by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

This painting is a study for a half-length portrait of Frances, painted circa 1810 (private collection), which was conceived as a pendant to a portrait of her husband (Garlick, no. 221). While a number of unfinished portraits where left in Lawrence's studio following his death, it is comparatively rare to find an extant sketch for a finished picture. As such this painting is significant as a valuable insight into the artist's working methods.