Lot 201
  • 201

Sir Thomas Lawrence P. R .A.

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Sir Thomas Lawrence, P. R .A.
  • Portrait of Lady Georgina North (d. 1836)
  • oil on canvas

Provenance

Lord North, Wroxton Abbey, Banbury;
From whom purchased by ‘Temple’ in 1907;
With Thos. Agnew & Sons, London;
Mr. Eugene Cremetti, London;
With James Connell & Sons, London;
With Scott&Fowles, New York;
Mrs. Stevenson Scott, New York, by 1955;
With Newhouse Galleries, Inc. New York;
From whom purchased by a private collector on 12 October 1972;
Their anonymous sale (‘Property from an Estate’), New York, Sotheby’s, 27 May 2004, lot 278, for $108,000, where purchased by the present owner. 

Literature

K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Boston 1955, p.52;
K. Garlick, 'A Catalogue of the Paintings, Drawings and Pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence', in The Walpole Society, vol. XXXIX, Glasgow 1964, p. 152;
K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence, a complete catalogue of the oil paintings, Oxford 1989, p. 246, cat. no. 609 (b), reproduced.

Condition

The picture appears to be in good overall condition. The canvas has been sensitively lined, and the lining is providing a stable support for the painting. There are no extant damages of losses of paint. The surface of the painting is a little bit pressed, but otherwise the condition is very good, and the catalogue illustration is representative. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals scattered retouchings, particularly in the right hand shoulder, and in the area of background to the right of the shoulder. There is infilling to craquelure in the background, particularly in the lower right. The painting does not require any further restoration and is ready to hang. It is held in a pierced English rococo 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.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Lady Georgina North was the third daughter of the 3rd Earl of Guilford and sat for Lawrence on three different occasions. The first, circa 1806-07, was for a portrait with her sister, Susan, Countess of Guilford, a painting today in the J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky. The present portrait was the last of the three portraits and was painted in 1828, towards the end of the artist’s life.

On his death in 1830 Lawrence left many unfinished paintings in his studio. A large number of them were completed by his studio in preparation for sale. The present work fortunately escaped un-tampered, however, and as such retains a remarkable sense of vividness and modernity, in particular in the artist’s bravura and unrestrained treatment of the sitter’s dress.