Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A.

Eleanor Campbell, New York;
By whose estate sold, New York, Parke-Bernet, 6 April 1960, lot 41;
There purchased by John and Joanna Bass, New York;
Their sale, New York, Parke-Bernet, 24 October 1962, lot 52;
There purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Lester Avnet, Long Island, New York;
By whom sold, New York, Sotheby's, 23 March 1966, lot 91. 

Royal Academy, 1812, no. 108;
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, 1834, no. 89 (as The Earl and Countess of Charlemont and late Lord Viscount Caulfield).

Lord R. Gower, F.S.A., Sir Thomas Lawrence, London 1900, p. 117;
G.S. Layard, Sir Thomas Lawrence's Letter-Bag, London 1906, p. 74;
Sir W. Armstrong, Lawrence, London 1913, p. 121;
K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence, London 1954, p. 31;
K. Garlick, 'A Catalogue of the Paintings, Drawings and Pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence', in Walpole Society, 1964, vol. XXXIX, 53;
K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence. A complete catalogue of the oil paintings, Oxford 1989, p. 167, no. 182, 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. This work has an old English lining. The lining seems to be sufficient. The paint is heavily applied in many areas, and the condition seems very good within the figure group and a good deal of the background. The white cloth and hand holding it on the right side may have received retouches. There are small retouches in the child's face and here and there within the figures, but none of these focus on any particular issue. There are two small losses in the cheek of the mother that have been restored. The background in the upper left corner shows an old addition to the canvas, which was added when this picture was divided and made into the size seen today. The original format when painted by the artist also included the husband of this family. Therefore, this piece of canvas in the upper left is not original, but has been nicely supported by the lining. It is recommended that the work be restored, but the condition is very good nonetheless.
"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."

Lawrence depicts the young Anne Caulfeild (née Bermingham) (d. 1876) with her first child, James.  Given the age of the young boy, the picture can be dated to circa 1805.¹  Lady Charlemont was a celebrated beauty—Byron enthused that a portrait bust of her surpassed the famous Medici Venus, and the Prince Regent had a miniature made of her in the guise of the goddess Psyche for his personal collection. Lawrence may have painted Lady Charlemont on another occasion, as a portrait of her was included in a sale of Lawrence's pictures on 15 March 1848, lot 120.

Before 1894 this painting was cut down from its original format, which originally included the figure of Francis William, 2^nd Earl of Charlemont, the husband and father of the sitters here.  Caulfeild served as a member of the Irish Parliament, where he acted as representative for Charlemont in the Irish House of Commons in 1798. The surviving fragment portrait of Caulfeild, which shows the gentleman looking tenderly down at his family, is located in the Nationally Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. 

1. Garlick 1964, op cit., p. 53.