Lot 54
  • 54

KATHERINE READ | Portrait of a woman, probably Anne Champion de Crespigny (1739-1797), bust length, within a drawn oval

Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Portrait of a woman, probably Anne Champion de Crespigny (1739-1797), bust length, within a drawn oval
  • pastel: 24 by 18 1/8 in.; 61 by 46.4 cm.
  • framed: 30 1/4 by 25 1/4 in.; 76.8 by 64.1 cm.
pastel on paper; indistinct inscription on the reverse.

Provenance

By descent in the Crespigny family;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 6 December 1912, lot 52 (as Early English School and "Portrait of Mrs. Philip Champion de Crespigny"), for 29 Guineas, to Lyon;
Xavier Haas, Paris;
By whom sold, New York, Anderson Galleries, 20 January 1927, lot 114 (as "Portrait of Lady Ann de Crespigny");
Anonymous sale, New York, Plaza Art Galleries, 27 January 1931, lot 24 (as "Portrait of Lady Ann de Crespigny").

Exhibited

Paris, Galerie Barbazanges, 'Les maîtres anglais (1740-1840): exposition de pastels-aquarelles et dessins,' 19 December 1919 - 10 January 1920, no. 59 (as Samuel Cotes and "Portrait of Anne Crespigny").

Literature

'Les maîtres anglais (1740-1840): exposition de pastels-aquarelles et dessins,' exhibition catalogue, Paris 1919, p. 15, cat. no. 59 (as Samuel Cotes and "Portrait of Anne Crespigny").
N. Jeffares, "Katherine Read," 'Dictionary of pastellists before 1800,' London 2006, online edition [http://www.pastellists.com/articles/read.pdf], accessed/update 18-06-2018, p. 5, cat. no. J.612.171, reproduced.

Condition

Pastel on paper backed with a thin canvas support. Presents a strong and decorative image with lovely retention of detail in the face. Overall there has been some rubbing to the pigment primarily concentrated at all edges and in the background, and in the figure's lower costume and upper headpiece. Some thinner areas are visible in the upper background, as well as some faint discoloration primarily to the left of the figure's hair in the background. There are some pin dots of loss scattered at extreme edges, for example upper right and lower center. A few scattered darker accretions primarily in the background to the right and left of the figure. A few possible very faint spots of old restoration in the sitter's chest. Can be hung in its present state and offered in a carved giltwood frame.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

Catalogue Note

The only confusion with regards to the identity of the sitter in this portrait is whether she represents Mrs. Philip Champion de Crespigny, née Anne Fonnereau (1704–1782) or her daughter, Anne Champion de Crespigny (1739-1797).1 Based on the technique used to make this pastel in conjunction to the costume and hairstyle the sitter has, this work was probably done in the mid 1760s. Considering that Mrs. Philip Champion de Crespigny would have been close to her sixties at the time the portrait was made, it is likely that the sitter actually represents her daughter. We are grateful to Neil Jeffares for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present lot on the basis of images.

1. See Provenance.