Old Master Paintings and Portrait Miniatures
Old Master Paintings and Portrait Miniatures
Property from an Important British Private Collection
John Smart
Portrait of Captain John Williamson (circa 1745-1798), circa 1775
Lot Closed
April 28, 03:56 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from an Important British Private Collection
John Smart
London 1741 - 1811
Portrait of Captain John Williamson (circa 1745-1798), circa 1775
Watercolour over pencil on wove paper, washed card mount, gilt-wood frame;
inscribed lower right: CaptWilliamson [sic]
58 by 46 mm.
The Smirk Collection,
sale, London, Christie's, 10 April 1922, lot 54,
with Pawsey & Payne, London,
Dr George Williamson (according to a label on the verso of the frame);
sale, Littlewood, Exeter, Bearnes Hampton, 28 October 2014, lot 205
sale, London, Christie's, 10 April 1922, lot 54,
with Pawsey & Payne, London,
Dr George Williamson (according to a label on the verso of the frame);
sale, Littlewood, Exeter, Bearnes Hampton, 28 October 2014, lot 205
D. Foskett, John Smart, The Man and his Miniatures, London, 1964, p. 76
The sitter accompanied Captain Cook on his third voyage of exploration in 1776. A career naval officer, his conduct was at times controversial. Joseph Farington later observed in his diaries that he was 'a troublesome man' (10 December 1797), while Lady Spencer described him as a 'black-guard'. Williamson Passage in Nootka Sound is named after him.