Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.

Possibly Mr Mitchell;
Possibly his sale, London, Christie's, 13 June 1813, lot 83, unsold;
Certainly The Rev. H.M. Rice, Rector of South Hill, Cornwall, by 1862;
By descent to Mrs C.L. Rice;
By whom offered, London, Christie's, 8 May 1897, lot 74, unsold;
Subsequently sold by the owner to George Harland Peck, 9 Belgrave Square;
His sale, London, Christie's, 25 June 1920, lot 119, for £294, to Leggatt;
The Dowager Countess of Westmorland;
Her sale, London, Sotheby's, 19 November 1969, lot 31, for £12,000, to Green;
With Richard Green Ltd, London;  
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Sotheby's, 15 November 1989, lot 51.

Plymouth, British Association, 1877.

A. Graves and W.V. Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, 2. vols, London 1899, vol. II, p. 557;
Sir W. Armstrong, Sir Joshua Reynolds, London 1900, pp. 140 and 216;
G.G. Birkbeck and L.F. Powell (eds), Boswell's Life of Johnson, 6 vols, Oxford 1934, vol. IV, pp. 412–13 and 552–53;
E.K. Waterhouse, Reynolds, London 1941, p. 70;
D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds. A complete catalogue of his paintings, 2 vols, New Haven and London 2000, text vol., p. 296, no. 1077, plates vol., reproduced p. 491, fig. 1272.

ENGRAVED
By F. Bromley, 1862.

The painting is in generally good condition. The picture is slightly brighter than it appears in the catalogue, especially in the reds. There are a small number of minor scratches along the lower edge of the canvas, in three areas, all of which are visible in the illustration. The canvas has a firm lining, and the paint surface is thin in places and quite flat as a result. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals a large number of scattered small retouchings and infilling to craquelure overall. This is particularly extensive in the lower centre, to the dark pigments below the hat. The painting is displayed in a loan frame and is sold unframed.
"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 posthumous and only child of Sir John Lade of Warbledon and his wife Anne, daughter of the brewer Henry Thrale. His father died falling from a horse before John was born and the boy was brought up by his maternal grandfather, who was M.P. for Southwark and a close friend of Samuel Johnson. Dr Johnson wrote several satirical verses about the young Lade and his coming of age, chiefly using his friend's ward as a vehicle to portray the folly and extravagance of youth.

A member of both the Jockey Club and the Four-in-Hand Club, and one of the finest horsemen of his generation, Lade was a keen sporting companion of the Prince of Wales. The latter bought horses from him, regularly shot and hunted with him, and later gave Lade and his wife a pension. In 1787 Lade married Letitia Darby, the one-time mistress of the Duke of York and an infamous beauty of her time, whom he had probably first met in a house of ill repute. Lade taught his wife to ride to hounds with as much reckless panache as himself and the pair scandalised eighteenth-century society with their wild behaviour and extravagant lifestyle. Lord Thurlow, the ex-Chancellor, commenting to the Prince of Wales, 'I have no objection, Sir, to Sir John Lade in his proper place, which I take to be your Royal Highness's coach-box, and not your table'. The Prince, however, clearly admired the exuberant couple and even commissioned Stubbs for a portrait of Lady Lade on horseback, showcasing her considerable skill as a horsewoman (Royal Collection).