Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, O.M., R.A.

Given in 1890 by the artist to the father of the sitter, Henry Stacy Marks, London;
Christie's, London, 26 March 1898, bought by Gooden & Fox, London by whom sold 2 April 1901 to Agnew's & Sons, London, by whom sold 20 July 1908 to Leggatt Brothers, London;
Mrs Helena Sarah Young, by whom sold Christie's, London, 9 December 1932, lot 39 to 'Church';
Private collection

Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Autumn Exhibition, 1891, no.904;
London, New Gallery, 1891, no.131;
Birmingham, Royal Society of Artists, 31st Spring Exhibition, 1896, no.375

Magazine of Art, 1892, illustrated p.i;
Die Kunst Fur Alle, 1 October 1893, illustrated;
Rudolf Dircks, 'The Later Works of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema O.M., R.A., R.W.S.', in special Christmas supplementary issue of Art Journal, 1910, p.31;
H van Wickevoort Crommelin, Les Peintres Neerlandais, 1923, illustrated p.155;
Vern G. Swanson, The Biography and the Paintings of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1990, p.242, cat.no. 342 (location unknown), illustrated p.442

STRUCTURE The panel is flat and appears to be providing a stable support. There are no signs of craquelure or other damages. The picture is clean and ready to hang. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are a few very minor flecked retouchings to the model's face and neck and possibly to the leaves but these have been very well-executed. FRAME The picture is contained in the original gilt frame and under glass.
"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."

Tadema did not seek to establish a career as a society portrait painter but throughout his life he enjoyed depicting members of his own family and his circle of friends, including the many artists, musicians and sculptors who attended his weekly musical soirées. He painted the daughter of the artist John MacWhirter and the wives of the marine painter Charles William Wyllie and landscape painter Ernest Waterlow and of Marcus Stone. It seems that he usually painted portraits of artistic friends in return for an example of their work; his portrayal of the sculptor George Simmonds was exchanged for a sculpted silver shield, the portrait of Giovanni Amendola was swapped for an example of the Italian sculptor's work and the portrait of Clothilde Enid Ford was given in return for a bronze bust by her father Onslow Ford. It has been suggested by Vern Swanson that the present portrait of Agnes Marks was a gift from Tadema to the painter Henry Stacy Marks in return for Mark’s painted contribution to the famous series of panels decorating Tadema’s studio at 17 Grove End Road.

Agnes Marks was the eldest of Henry Stacy Marks’ five children and a close friend of Tadema’s daughters Anna and Laurense. In 1890 when the portrait was painted, Agnes was unmarried – an unfortunate predicament for a woman of thirty-three. In 1892 Agnes’ mother Helen (nee Drysdale) died and only a year later her father was married to another painter, Mary Harriet Kempe. This may have caused a rift between father and daughter as Agnes immediately moved from her father’s house to Barnes. In 1896 she married Alexander Stuart, a doctor at the Charing Cross Hospital and two years later when her father died Agnes was the only one of his children to not attend his funeral. She died in 1920 aged sixty-two.