François-Xavier Fabre

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby’s, 14 November 1990, lot 56, to Thost on behalf of Dr. Rau for £23,000;
Bequeathed by Dr. Rau to the Foundation of the German Committee for UNICEF.

Possibly the picture mentioned in J. Ingamells, A Dictionary of British and Irish Travellers in Italy, 1701-1800, New Haven and London 1997, p. 1025 (as dated 1793, untraced).

The canvas is unlined and the painting is in very good condition, with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint. The catalogue illustration is representative, though there is more warmth in the flesh tones. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals retouching along the upper edge of the canvas, which spreads down into the picture by about two inches in the background upper left, where there appears to be some restoration to a small tear. This has been well done and is virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye. There are three small spots of restoration in the background, above and to the right of the sitters head, and there are a further three small areas of retouching in the lower right. There is a small amount of scattered minor flecks of retouching to small craquelure and old paint lifting, and signs of an older campaign of minor restoration in the lapels of the sitter's coat. Both campaigns of restoration have been well done and are virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye, unless under extremely close inspection with raking light. The picture would therefore appear to be in very good condition and is ready to hang, with no need of restoration. Held in a neo-classical gilded wooden frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482.
"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."

The sitter was the eldest son of William Petty-FitzMaurice, 2nd Earl of Shelburne and 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (1737-1805), Prime Minister of Great Britain, and his wife Lady Sophia Carteret. Tutored by the scholar Dr Priestley, when a young man, Wycombe travelled extensively in northern Europe and took considerable interest in political events. In France he was favourably impressed by the general ferment which culminated in the French Revolution, and was one of the few Englishmen to stay in Paris throughout the Reign of Terror. An account of his travels in Scandinavia, Russia and Poland in 1789 was kept by his travelling companion, the 28 year old John Markham (1761-1827), later First Sea Lord.

Wycombe travelled in Italy between 1793 and 1796, where he spent much of the time  in the company of Lord Holland (1773-1840), and and in pursuit of Mrs Wyndham, the wife of the British Envoy at Florence. This portrait was painted in Florence, where Fabre had settled as Professor of Painting at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, having completed his studies in Rome and Naples. Fabre's known republican tendencies may well have appealed to Lord Wycombe, and partly account for his choice of painter. He also sat to Gauffier, another French émigré also based in Florence, the same year.

In 1798, following his return to Britain Wycombe's radical sympathies got him into trouble with the government in Ireland. Like his father he served in the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Wycombe from 1786 to 1802, when he inherited the Marquessate upon his father's death. Owing to a weakened constitution however he died shortly afterwards, in 1809, when the title passed to his younger brother.