Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.
Portrait of Mrs Anthony Eyre (d. 1800), three-quarter length, wearing a white frilled satin dress, standing in a landscape
Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.
Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.
Portrait of Mrs Anthony Eyre (d. 1800), three-quarter length, wearing a white frilled satin dress, standing in a landscape
Portrait of Mrs Anthony Eyre (d. 1800), three-quarter length, wearing a white frilled satin dress, standing in a landscape
This lot has been withdrawn
The Property of a Nobleman
Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.
Plympton, Devon 1723 - 1792 London
Portrait of Mrs Anthony Eyre (d. 1800), three-quarter length, wearing a white frilled satin dress, standing in a landscape
oil on canvas
unframed: 127.4 x 102 cm.; 50 1/8 x 40 1/8 in.
framed: 149.5 x 122.8 cm.; 58 7/8 x 48 3/8 in.
The canvas is lined, the paint surface is clean, and the varnish is clear and even. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals small, scattered retouchings around the margins (most notably in the upper half of the left margin), and small retouchings to disguise the network of craquelure scattered in the sitter's forehead, cheeks, chin, hair and neck. There are other small areas of retouching scattered through her dress, most notably in her left breast approx. 6 x 4 cm. There are also fine lines of retouching in the background, most notably in the sky around the sitter's silhouette on the right-hand side. These are all sensitively executed and the painting does not require any further intervention.
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. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color 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. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.
Frances Julia Eyre (d. 1844), who in 1814 married Granville Harcourt-Vernon (d. 1879);
Thence by descent to Lt.-Col. G.C.F. Harcourt-Vernon;
By whose Executors sold ('The Property of the Grove Settled Estate'), London, Sotheby's, 26 March 1975, lot 53.
E.K. Waterhouse, 'Reynolds' Sitter Book for 1755', in The Walpole Society, vol. XLI, 1966-68, p. 149;
D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds. A complete catalogue of his paintings, New Haven and London 2000, text vol., p. 183, cat. no. 589, reproduced plates vol., p. 170, fig. 125.
Judith Laetitia Bury married Anthony Eyre (d. 1788), of Grove Hall, Nottinghamshire, in 1755. This portrait, and that of her husband (now in a private collection), were painted that same year to commemorate the occasion.1 Anthony Eyre was MP for Boroughbridge from 1774-84; he bought the estate of Grove in 1762, and the pendant portraits descended in the family, and through marriage the Harcourt-Vernon family, until their appearance on the market in 1975, at which point they were separated.
Mrs Eyre (or Ayre) had several appointments with Reynolds, on: 7, 14, 19 and 22 March, 1 April, and 2 and 6 May 1755. A letter from Reynolds dated 18 October 1755 (which accompanied the portrait of Anthony Eyre at the Sotheby's 1975 sale), apologises for the portraits of Eyre and his wife having been dispatched without their frames, which were subsequently 'sent this day by the York Waggon.' The bill for the pictures was £50-8s., the frames £10-10s., and the packing cases 15 shillings.2
1 See Mannings 2000, text vol., p. 183, cat. no. 588, reproduced plates vol., p. 170, fig. 126.
2 J. Ingamells and J. Edgcumbe, The letters of Sir Joshua Reynolds, London 2000, no. 255.