- 601
Thomas Hudson
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Thomas Hudson
- Portrait of Arthur Chichester (1739-1799), 1st Marquess of Donegall, full length, standing in a landscape while six years old
- inscribed on the urn upper left: Arthur Chichester Esq/AE 6. 1745.
- oil on canvas
- 50 1/4 by 40 in.; 127.6 by 101.6 cm.
Provenance
Dorothy B. Hammerstein;
By whose Estate sold, New York, Sotheby's, 14 January 1988, lot 181 (as a pair with a pendant, Portrait of John Chichester, age 5).
By whose Estate sold, New York, Sotheby's, 14 January 1988, lot 181 (as a pair with a pendant, Portrait of John Chichester, age 5).
Literature
V.H. Pancoast, "IFAR Identifies a Pair of Portraits by Thomas Hudson," in IFARreports, vol. 7, no. 3, April/May 1986, pp. 2-3, reproduced on the cover and p. 3.
Condition
The canvas is lined. The image reads beautifully, with most of the details well preserved as with the white details on child's coat where some impasto remains. There are two areas of paint loss at the upper left edge. A faint scratch that is barely visible is on the lower left corner between the dog's legs. On the lower right corner there is a faint frame abrasion. Inspection under UV shows some finely applied spots of retouching along all the edges. Other small retouches are scattered on the dark colors of the composition, such as the hat the child holds and the ledge at his right. Aside from attending the aforementioned paint loss, the painting is in good condition and could be hung in its present state. It is offered in an elaborately carved, gold frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The sitter was the elder son of John Chichester (d. 1746), MP for Belfast, and Elizabeth Chichester (née Newdigate). He became 5th Earl of Donegall upon the death of his uncle in 1757. He graduated from Oxford in 1759, was appointed privy counselor in 1766, and was MP for Malmesbury from 1766-84. In 1791, he was created Earl of Belfast and 1st Marquess of Donegall. At the time of the 1988 sale (see Provenance) this portrait was sold together with a portrait of Arthur’s younger brother John Chichester, who was born in 1740.