'The Cardinal'; a pottery bust by John ...
Item Ref
9150
A superb, and rare, artwork by John Fortnum, with a very powerful presence, it is pottery, but simulating charred wood...as if the bust had been rescued from a fire, but had been subject to great heat. It is, in appearance, timeless; it could date from the Italian Renaissance and be of wood, perhaps once painted; it could be, as it is, 33 years old...it moves effortlessly through a 600 year time span. It is a free standing 'trompe l'oeil' in that it hides its true material and presents us with a wide range of perceptions.
This is a very evocative sculpture which can inspire many messages … on art, survival, religion, life, apparent damage as enhancement....truly a very thought provoking item, as well as being a glorious sculpture.
Signed and dated '86; this is number 7 of a limited edition of 8. How many others have survived the last 33 years is not known.
"My Sculpture can be seen in some of the wildest landscapes in Britain, from the North Atlantic seascapes of the Orkney Isles to the North York Moors, where I have used the wind, rain, and oxidation as natural elements in Landscape sculpture. In my smaller more intimate sculptures the human body, with its architectural and structural aspects, is an underlying theme. I am fascinated by the alchemy of heat on materials. I enjoy using different materials and experimenting with a wide range of sculptural possibilities." John Fortnum, born 1945.
SIZE: 25.5 inches tall, 20 inches wide, 12 inches deep.
PROVENANCE: London Private Collection.
This is a very evocative sculpture which can inspire many messages … on art, survival, religion, life, apparent damage as enhancement....truly a very thought provoking item, as well as being a glorious sculpture.
Signed and dated '86; this is number 7 of a limited edition of 8. How many others have survived the last 33 years is not known.
"My Sculpture can be seen in some of the wildest landscapes in Britain, from the North Atlantic seascapes of the Orkney Isles to the North York Moors, where I have used the wind, rain, and oxidation as natural elements in Landscape sculpture. In my smaller more intimate sculptures the human body, with its architectural and structural aspects, is an underlying theme. I am fascinated by the alchemy of heat on materials. I enjoy using different materials and experimenting with a wide range of sculptural possibilities." John Fortnum, born 1945.
SIZE: 25.5 inches tall, 20 inches wide, 12 inches deep.
PROVENANCE: London Private Collection.
£685
William Levinz c1690; Circle of Sir Godfrey ...
Item Ref
9319
Oil on canvas in the fine carved and giltwood original frame. VERSO old labels and a wax Collection seal.
WILLIAM LEVINZ (c. 1671–1747) of Grove Hall and Bilby, Nottinghamshire was a British lawyer and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1702 and 1734. He fought a duel with an opposing Whig agent.
Levinz was the eldest son of Sir Creswell Levinz of Evenley, Northamptonshire, a prominent lawyer, and his wife Elizabeth Livesay, daughter of William Livesay of Lancashire. His uncle William Levinz was professor of Greek at Oxford, and another uncle Baptist Levinz was Bishop of Sodor and Man. He was admitted at Gray's Inn in 1681 and matriculated at St John's College, Oxford, where his uncle William Levinz was president, on 26 August 1688, aged 17.
In 1689, he transferred to Inner Temple and in 1693 he was called to the bar. He married Ann Buck, daughter of Samuel Buck of Gray's Inn on 4 June 1693. He succeeded his father in 1701 to his estates. one of which carried with it an electoral interest at Retford.
Levinz became one of the leaders of the Tories in Nottinghamshire. He stood as a Tory for East Retford at the second general election of 1701 but was defeated and his petition was dismissed. At the 1702 English general election he was defeated again but this time his petition prevailed and he was returned as Member of Parliament for East Retford on 28 November 1702. At the 1705 English general election, he was returned again for East Retford, but was unseated on petition on 17 January 1706. He was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire for the year 1707 to 1708. He was returned again as MP for East Retford at the 1708 British general election. He fought a duel on 14 January 1709 with William Jessop, legal adviser and election manager to John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, in which Jessop was wounded.
At the 1710 British general election he stood for Nottinghamshire where he was successfully returned. He was busy again in Parliament and was listed as a ‘worthy patriot’. In 1712 he was elected a Commissioner to inquire into crown grants. He presented an address from Nottinghamshire in favour of the peace in August 1712, and he voted against the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713. At the 1713 British general election he was returned unopposed for Nottinghamshire. He supported the government but demonstrated his Hanoverian loyalty when it was said in August 1715 that he was ‘as zealous to put the laws in execution against Roman Catholics as anybody’.
Levinz was returned unopposed at the 1715 British general election. He contributed £100 towards the cost of raising a Nottinghamshire regiment in the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. He was defeated in a close contest at the 1722 British general election of which he wrote ‘the methods of menaces and promises have been so extravagant and the corruption so open and avowed’. He was returned for one of the vacancies and a Whig candidate for the other at the by-election on 30 May 1732. Levinz’ son William came of age in 1734 and at the 1734 Levinz made an agreement with the Whigs so that his son was returned at Nottinghamshire in his place.
Levinz died in May 1747 leaving a son and two daughters.
SIR GODFREY KNELLER (1646-1723) was the most distinguished painter of baroque portraits in England.
Born in Lubeck, he trained with Bol and Rembrandt, coming to London in 1676.
By 1679 he had painted the King and remained the most famous and successful portrait painter in England until his death.
In 1688 he was made Principal Painter to the King and was knighted in 1692 and a made a baronet in 1715.
Those who emulated his fashionable style were many, his influence was great.
PROVENANCE: Starston Hall, Starston, Norfolk.
WILLIAM LEVINZ (c. 1671–1747) of Grove Hall and Bilby, Nottinghamshire was a British lawyer and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1702 and 1734. He fought a duel with an opposing Whig agent.
Levinz was the eldest son of Sir Creswell Levinz of Evenley, Northamptonshire, a prominent lawyer, and his wife Elizabeth Livesay, daughter of William Livesay of Lancashire. His uncle William Levinz was professor of Greek at Oxford, and another uncle Baptist Levinz was Bishop of Sodor and Man. He was admitted at Gray's Inn in 1681 and matriculated at St John's College, Oxford, where his uncle William Levinz was president, on 26 August 1688, aged 17.
In 1689, he transferred to Inner Temple and in 1693 he was called to the bar. He married Ann Buck, daughter of Samuel Buck of Gray's Inn on 4 June 1693. He succeeded his father in 1701 to his estates. one of which carried with it an electoral interest at Retford.
Levinz became one of the leaders of the Tories in Nottinghamshire. He stood as a Tory for East Retford at the second general election of 1701 but was defeated and his petition was dismissed. At the 1702 English general election he was defeated again but this time his petition prevailed and he was returned as Member of Parliament for East Retford on 28 November 1702. At the 1705 English general election, he was returned again for East Retford, but was unseated on petition on 17 January 1706. He was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire for the year 1707 to 1708. He was returned again as MP for East Retford at the 1708 British general election. He fought a duel on 14 January 1709 with William Jessop, legal adviser and election manager to John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, in which Jessop was wounded.
At the 1710 British general election he stood for Nottinghamshire where he was successfully returned. He was busy again in Parliament and was listed as a ‘worthy patriot’. In 1712 he was elected a Commissioner to inquire into crown grants. He presented an address from Nottinghamshire in favour of the peace in August 1712, and he voted against the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713. At the 1713 British general election he was returned unopposed for Nottinghamshire. He supported the government but demonstrated his Hanoverian loyalty when it was said in August 1715 that he was ‘as zealous to put the laws in execution against Roman Catholics as anybody’.
Levinz was returned unopposed at the 1715 British general election. He contributed £100 towards the cost of raising a Nottinghamshire regiment in the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. He was defeated in a close contest at the 1722 British general election of which he wrote ‘the methods of menaces and promises have been so extravagant and the corruption so open and avowed’. He was returned for one of the vacancies and a Whig candidate for the other at the by-election on 30 May 1732. Levinz’ son William came of age in 1734 and at the 1734 Levinz made an agreement with the Whigs so that his son was returned at Nottinghamshire in his place.
Levinz died in May 1747 leaving a son and two daughters.
SIR GODFREY KNELLER (1646-1723) was the most distinguished painter of baroque portraits in England.
Born in Lubeck, he trained with Bol and Rembrandt, coming to London in 1676.
By 1679 he had painted the King and remained the most famous and successful portrait painter in England until his death.
In 1688 he was made Principal Painter to the King and was knighted in 1692 and a made a baronet in 1715.
Those who emulated his fashionable style were many, his influence was great.
PROVENANCE: Starston Hall, Starston, Norfolk.
£4,350
Self Portrait, c.1800, by John Opie RA ...
Item Ref
Opie
A recently rediscovered self-portrait by John Opie RA, dubbed during his lifetime as ‘The Cornish Wonder’.
Opie was one of the most prolific self-portraitists of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain. Ada Earland, who published a biography and list of works by the artist in 1911, references no fewer than fifty-four self-portraits of the artist. His incessant self-examination in paint ranks him alongside artists such as Rembrandt in this regard, to whom around eighty or so have been attributed. As Earland’s references make clear, many of Opie’s remain unaccounted for and are likely preserved in private collections across the globe.
Created at the turn of the century, this image shows the artist’s likeness looming out of a unfathomable darkness. The half-turned head with its dark hair and sideburn is set against the bright white necktie which suggests the shape of the sitter’s body and jacket. The extraordinary presence of the sitter is aided by the three-dimensionality and volume of the skull, achieved by the gradual build-up of thick paint noted in the forehead. The spotlight that picks out the artist’s boldly painted head particularly evokes the spirit of Baroque painting during the seventeenth century. It was Opie’s abilities in chiaroscuro which is said to have won the praise of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who reputedly described him as ‘like Caravaggio and Velazquez in one.’ These effects were often aided with the use of bitumen, undoubtedly influenced by the experiments of Sir Joshua, and which is evident in the shadows towards the top right of this painting. The brooding spirit of early-Romanticism, through the lens of a deep knowledge of the Old Masters, is what is particularly felt in this work.
This image was created when Opie was around the age of forty and successfully placed in the London art world. Born the son of a carpenter in a tin-mining district of Cornwall before being discovered as a child prodigy. His natural gifts in drawing were discovered by Dr John Walcot (1738-1819), whose protection and patronage helped to nurture the boy’s gifts before he was brought to London in 1781 where his works caused great sensation. He quickly received the patronage of the Royal Family alongside leading figures of the nobility and cultural elites. Opie was elected an Association of the Royal Academy in 1786 and was made an RA the following year. His successful portraits of the likes of Mary Delany, Mary Wollstonecraft, Samuel Johnson and Henry Fuseli have become some of the most lasting and iconic images of these sitters. Although also known as an artist of historical and genre scenes, his portraits have received perhaps the most enduring interest and fame since his death. His efforts in portraiture placed him in direct competition to the likes of Thomas Lawrence, James Northcote and Henry Fuseli.
The painting offered here derives from a type Earland published alongside the frontispiece of her book on the artist. This version, which contains the basic elements of this picture, was recorded in the possession of the Opie collector R. Hall McCormick of Chicago. This prototype must have been a significant one, as a printed version of it also appears in the Lectures on Painting published posthumously in 1809. This collected edition of Opie’s lectures presented at the Royal Academy from 1805 represented a high point in respectability for the painter the reason for which it was surely chosen. Although Opie did paint himself in the guise of a painter with brushes in hand, this particular image calls to mind his striking ability in capturing both character and a living presence.
Opie’s remains were interred in the crypt of London’s St. Pauls’s Cathedral after his death at the age of 45 in 1807. This location, in the crypt next to Reynolds, demonstrated the high regard felt for the painter amongst his contemporaries.
SIZE: 31 x 26 ½ inches in what seems to be the original frame.
PROVENANCE: UK private collection
Opie was one of the most prolific self-portraitists of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain. Ada Earland, who published a biography and list of works by the artist in 1911, references no fewer than fifty-four self-portraits of the artist. His incessant self-examination in paint ranks him alongside artists such as Rembrandt in this regard, to whom around eighty or so have been attributed. As Earland’s references make clear, many of Opie’s remain unaccounted for and are likely preserved in private collections across the globe.
Created at the turn of the century, this image shows the artist’s likeness looming out of a unfathomable darkness. The half-turned head with its dark hair and sideburn is set against the bright white necktie which suggests the shape of the sitter’s body and jacket. The extraordinary presence of the sitter is aided by the three-dimensionality and volume of the skull, achieved by the gradual build-up of thick paint noted in the forehead. The spotlight that picks out the artist’s boldly painted head particularly evokes the spirit of Baroque painting during the seventeenth century. It was Opie’s abilities in chiaroscuro which is said to have won the praise of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who reputedly described him as ‘like Caravaggio and Velazquez in one.’ These effects were often aided with the use of bitumen, undoubtedly influenced by the experiments of Sir Joshua, and which is evident in the shadows towards the top right of this painting. The brooding spirit of early-Romanticism, through the lens of a deep knowledge of the Old Masters, is what is particularly felt in this work.
This image was created when Opie was around the age of forty and successfully placed in the London art world. Born the son of a carpenter in a tin-mining district of Cornwall before being discovered as a child prodigy. His natural gifts in drawing were discovered by Dr John Walcot (1738-1819), whose protection and patronage helped to nurture the boy’s gifts before he was brought to London in 1781 where his works caused great sensation. He quickly received the patronage of the Royal Family alongside leading figures of the nobility and cultural elites. Opie was elected an Association of the Royal Academy in 1786 and was made an RA the following year. His successful portraits of the likes of Mary Delany, Mary Wollstonecraft, Samuel Johnson and Henry Fuseli have become some of the most lasting and iconic images of these sitters. Although also known as an artist of historical and genre scenes, his portraits have received perhaps the most enduring interest and fame since his death. His efforts in portraiture placed him in direct competition to the likes of Thomas Lawrence, James Northcote and Henry Fuseli.
The painting offered here derives from a type Earland published alongside the frontispiece of her book on the artist. This version, which contains the basic elements of this picture, was recorded in the possession of the Opie collector R. Hall McCormick of Chicago. This prototype must have been a significant one, as a printed version of it also appears in the Lectures on Painting published posthumously in 1809. This collected edition of Opie’s lectures presented at the Royal Academy from 1805 represented a high point in respectability for the painter the reason for which it was surely chosen. Although Opie did paint himself in the guise of a painter with brushes in hand, this particular image calls to mind his striking ability in capturing both character and a living presence.
Opie’s remains were interred in the crypt of London’s St. Pauls’s Cathedral after his death at the age of 45 in 1807. This location, in the crypt next to Reynolds, demonstrated the high regard felt for the painter amongst his contemporaries.
SIZE: 31 x 26 ½ inches in what seems to be the original frame.
PROVENANCE: UK private collection
£8,950
Portrait of Marjorie McInnes 1921 by Cowan ...
Item Ref
8735
Oil on canvas board in a glazed modern gilt frame.
Signed and dated.
A charming portrait of Marjorie McInnies,a pretty young girl, painted in 1921, when she was four, by David Cowan Dobson.
MARJORIE MARY MCINNES OBE, (1917-2015) Marjorie was the daughter of Robert and Nettie McInnes. She had an older sister, Eileen, and a younger brother, Roy. They were born into a wealthy timber merchant family which fell upon hard times in the late 1920s. Her father died when she was ten. While she began her education at Craigholme School she completed it through a bursary at Hutcheson Girls Grammar School in 1934.
Initially she found work in a publishing house, and on leaving that got a job as a bank clerk. Her teenage years were beset by illnesses which she finally overcame.
Marjorie obtained the Diploma in Social Services from Glasgow University in 1939, there being no degree course at that time, and proceeded to train as an almoner (later called medical social worker) at the Institute of Almoners in London. She qualified in 1940. Her first posts were in 1941-42 working as an almoner at Hull Royal Infirmary, Stafford Royal Infirmary and as a caseworker at Greenock Social Services Council. These were all locum posts.
For a brief period in 1942-43 she worked in Southport, but on hearing that her brother, who was in the RAF, had been killed over France she returned to Scotland. From November 1943 to May 1948 Marjorie was almoner at Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride. She was exempt from war service as this hospital had a military wing but she was active as a volunteer in civil defence.
One of Marjorie’s great achievements was the work she undertook between the years 1949-52 as one of the social work representatives on the Cope Report, set up to establish a register for all medical auxiliaries. Marjorie and her colleague objected vehemently to almoners being included as auxiliaries and were finally successful in the establishment of social work as a separate profession.
During the years 1948-1953 Marjorie held the post of Head Almoner at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow and from 1954-57 was Head Almoner at Western Infirmary, Glasgow. During this period she also had a part-time teaching post in the University Department of Public Health and Social Medicine.
In 1969 Marjorie was appointed Deputy Chief Social Work Adviser within the Central Advisory Service of Social Work Services Group.
She held this post with great distinction and was held in the highest regard by all her ?colleagues throughout the Scottish Office.
Her retirement at the age of 61 in 1978 was the commencement of a new career serving within the Scottish voluntary sector. She contributed another two decades of guidance and oversight to many major Scottish charities. It was the recognition of her work as Convener of the Scottish Council on Disability which led to her being honoured by the Queen in the New Year’s Honours List for 1982.
Marjorie’s Christian faith enriched everything she did and achieved. She was a lifelong member of Adelaide Place Baptist Church – where she served as Deacon and subsequently Honorary Deacon – and also the wider denomination of the Baptist Union of Scotland through the Scottish Baptist College. In 1990 she was elected President of the Union – the only woman to have achieved this position.
(Our thanks to Patricia Leary for information on Marjorie)
DAVID COWAN DOBSON (1894–1980), referred to as 'Cowan' Dobson, Associate of the Society of Royal British Artists (1919),Member of the Society of Royal British Artists (1922), Member of the Royal Society of Portrait Sainters (1963); he was a leading Scottish portrait artist who painted with bravado and style, and in this intimate portrait there is a painterly delight in the handling of the medium - the brushwork to the dress very fast and impressionistic.
SIZE:25 x 21 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Scottish Private Collection.
Signed and dated.
A charming portrait of Marjorie McInnies,a pretty young girl, painted in 1921, when she was four, by David Cowan Dobson.
MARJORIE MARY MCINNES OBE, (1917-2015) Marjorie was the daughter of Robert and Nettie McInnes. She had an older sister, Eileen, and a younger brother, Roy. They were born into a wealthy timber merchant family which fell upon hard times in the late 1920s. Her father died when she was ten. While she began her education at Craigholme School she completed it through a bursary at Hutcheson Girls Grammar School in 1934.
Initially she found work in a publishing house, and on leaving that got a job as a bank clerk. Her teenage years were beset by illnesses which she finally overcame.
Marjorie obtained the Diploma in Social Services from Glasgow University in 1939, there being no degree course at that time, and proceeded to train as an almoner (later called medical social worker) at the Institute of Almoners in London. She qualified in 1940. Her first posts were in 1941-42 working as an almoner at Hull Royal Infirmary, Stafford Royal Infirmary and as a caseworker at Greenock Social Services Council. These were all locum posts.
For a brief period in 1942-43 she worked in Southport, but on hearing that her brother, who was in the RAF, had been killed over France she returned to Scotland. From November 1943 to May 1948 Marjorie was almoner at Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride. She was exempt from war service as this hospital had a military wing but she was active as a volunteer in civil defence.
One of Marjorie’s great achievements was the work she undertook between the years 1949-52 as one of the social work representatives on the Cope Report, set up to establish a register for all medical auxiliaries. Marjorie and her colleague objected vehemently to almoners being included as auxiliaries and were finally successful in the establishment of social work as a separate profession.
During the years 1948-1953 Marjorie held the post of Head Almoner at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow and from 1954-57 was Head Almoner at Western Infirmary, Glasgow. During this period she also had a part-time teaching post in the University Department of Public Health and Social Medicine.
In 1969 Marjorie was appointed Deputy Chief Social Work Adviser within the Central Advisory Service of Social Work Services Group.
She held this post with great distinction and was held in the highest regard by all her ?colleagues throughout the Scottish Office.
Her retirement at the age of 61 in 1978 was the commencement of a new career serving within the Scottish voluntary sector. She contributed another two decades of guidance and oversight to many major Scottish charities. It was the recognition of her work as Convener of the Scottish Council on Disability which led to her being honoured by the Queen in the New Year’s Honours List for 1982.
Marjorie’s Christian faith enriched everything she did and achieved. She was a lifelong member of Adelaide Place Baptist Church – where she served as Deacon and subsequently Honorary Deacon – and also the wider denomination of the Baptist Union of Scotland through the Scottish Baptist College. In 1990 she was elected President of the Union – the only woman to have achieved this position.
(Our thanks to Patricia Leary for information on Marjorie)
DAVID COWAN DOBSON (1894–1980), referred to as 'Cowan' Dobson, Associate of the Society of Royal British Artists (1919),Member of the Society of Royal British Artists (1922), Member of the Royal Society of Portrait Sainters (1963); he was a leading Scottish portrait artist who painted with bravado and style, and in this intimate portrait there is a painterly delight in the handling of the medium - the brushwork to the dress very fast and impressionistic.
SIZE:25 x 21 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Scottish Private Collection.
£1,850
Portrait of a Gentleman c.1650; Follower of ...
Item Ref
9291
Oil on copper (Image 7 inches tall), in a reproduction period frame.
The reverse of the copper bears a later inscription mistakenly attributing the portrait to the Italian Fra’ Galgario (4 March 1655 – December 1743), born Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi, and also called Fra’ Vittore del Galgario, mainly active in Bergamo as a portraitist during the Rococo or late-Baroque period. This portrait dates from before his birth, and is Dutch not Italian.
The mid 17th century portrait shows the fashionably dressed young man striking a confident pose and regarding us with an even gaze. He wears his cloak slung artistically over the left shoulder, (this was so fashionable they were even worn indoors) and then wrapped round his body as was the mode. Waistlines rose and sleeves became fuller, and both body and upper sleeves might be slashed to show the shirt beneath. By 1640 doublets were full and unfitted, and might be open at the front below the high waist to show the shirt.
Round his neck is a 'falling band'; this style is often thought to signify clerics or lawyers. Bands did not become academically significant until they were abandoned as an ordinary lay fashion in the 1660s. They became identified as specifically applicable to clerical, legal and academic individuals in the early eighteenth century, when they became longer and narrower in form.
Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613 – December 1670) was a Dutch painter. Considered to be one of the leading portrait painters of the Dutch Golden Age, his elegant portraits gained him the patronage of Amsterdam's elite as well as the Stadtholder's circle. The majority of his work is made up of individual portraits, though he also painted family portraits, double portraits and pendant portraits. His work influenced a number of artists.
SIZE: 26 x 22 centimetres. 10.26 x 8.9 inches.
PROVENANCE: Collection of a retired North Country dealer.
NOTE: There are two slight creases in the copper, only visible in a certain angle of light.
The reverse of the copper bears a later inscription mistakenly attributing the portrait to the Italian Fra’ Galgario (4 March 1655 – December 1743), born Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi, and also called Fra’ Vittore del Galgario, mainly active in Bergamo as a portraitist during the Rococo or late-Baroque period. This portrait dates from before his birth, and is Dutch not Italian.
The mid 17th century portrait shows the fashionably dressed young man striking a confident pose and regarding us with an even gaze. He wears his cloak slung artistically over the left shoulder, (this was so fashionable they were even worn indoors) and then wrapped round his body as was the mode. Waistlines rose and sleeves became fuller, and both body and upper sleeves might be slashed to show the shirt beneath. By 1640 doublets were full and unfitted, and might be open at the front below the high waist to show the shirt.
Round his neck is a 'falling band'; this style is often thought to signify clerics or lawyers. Bands did not become academically significant until they were abandoned as an ordinary lay fashion in the 1660s. They became identified as specifically applicable to clerical, legal and academic individuals in the early eighteenth century, when they became longer and narrower in form.
Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613 – December 1670) was a Dutch painter. Considered to be one of the leading portrait painters of the Dutch Golden Age, his elegant portraits gained him the patronage of Amsterdam's elite as well as the Stadtholder's circle. The majority of his work is made up of individual portraits, though he also painted family portraits, double portraits and pendant portraits. His work influenced a number of artists.
SIZE: 26 x 22 centimetres. 10.26 x 8.9 inches.
PROVENANCE: Collection of a retired North Country dealer.
NOTE: There are two slight creases in the copper, only visible in a certain angle of light.
£2,985
Portrait of Ernst Casimir, Count of Nassau-Dietz, ...
Item Ref
9233
Oil on panel.
This 17th century portrait is based on the main version by Wybrand de Geest in the Rijksmuseum, which is 78 x 51 inches; this superb painting is a rather more manageable 24 x 17 inches.
ERNST CASIMIR I (22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632) was a Count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. He was the 11th child of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, and Countess Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg. After the death of his father, his counties Nassau-Dillenburg, Nassau-Siegen, Nassau-Dietz, and Vianden were divided among his five living sons. Ernest Casimir followed him as Count of Nassau-Dietz. In 1631, he inherited the small county of Spiegelberg near Lauenstein.
Ernest Casimir was primarily known as an outstanding military leader during the Eighty Years' War. He served under Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, in the siege of the cities of Steenwijk and Oldenzaal, and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, during the Siege of Groenlo and the Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch. As Stadtholder of Groningen, he founded the Nieuweschans fortress in 1628. Although he owned little in Friesland, he was popular there, and people granted his heir the right to rule after his death.
He was killed by a bullet at the siege of Roermond while he was inspecting the trenches in June 1632. His son, Henry Casimir I, succeeded him as count of Nassau-Dietz and as Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe.
WYBRAND SIMONSZ. DE GEEST (16 August 1592 – c. 1661) was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from Friesland. He was born and died at Leeuwarden. He learned painting from his father, Simon Juckesz, a stained glass worker. He studied later with Abraham Bloemaert. From 1614 to 1618 he travelled in France and Italy on a Grand Tour. In 1616 he met up with Leonard Bramer in Aix-en-Provence. While in Rome he became a member of the painters' circle known as the Bentvueghels. He earned the nickname 'De Friesche Adelaar', or "the Frisian Eagle".
De Geest married Hendrickje Fransdr Uylenburgh in 1622, a niece of Saskia van Uylenburgh, the wife of Rembrandt. In 1634, just before his own marriage, Rembrandt visited De Geest's studio. In 1636 the Frenchman Charles Ogier, secretary to Cardinal Richelieu visited De Geest, to view his large collection of curiosities and coins.
De Geest was the most important portrait painter of Friesland and painted numerous portraits of the well-to-do citizens of his day, many of which survive in the Fries Museum. Perhaps the most intimate portraits he painted were those of his direct family. De Geest influenced Jacob Adriaensz Backer, and his students were Jan Jansz. de Stomme, and Jacob Potma. His sons Julius and Frank also became painters.
SIZE: 29 x 22.5 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: English Private Collection for many generations.
This 17th century portrait is based on the main version by Wybrand de Geest in the Rijksmuseum, which is 78 x 51 inches; this superb painting is a rather more manageable 24 x 17 inches.
ERNST CASIMIR I (22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632) was a Count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. He was the 11th child of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, and Countess Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg. After the death of his father, his counties Nassau-Dillenburg, Nassau-Siegen, Nassau-Dietz, and Vianden were divided among his five living sons. Ernest Casimir followed him as Count of Nassau-Dietz. In 1631, he inherited the small county of Spiegelberg near Lauenstein.
Ernest Casimir was primarily known as an outstanding military leader during the Eighty Years' War. He served under Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, in the siege of the cities of Steenwijk and Oldenzaal, and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, during the Siege of Groenlo and the Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch. As Stadtholder of Groningen, he founded the Nieuweschans fortress in 1628. Although he owned little in Friesland, he was popular there, and people granted his heir the right to rule after his death.
He was killed by a bullet at the siege of Roermond while he was inspecting the trenches in June 1632. His son, Henry Casimir I, succeeded him as count of Nassau-Dietz and as Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe.
WYBRAND SIMONSZ. DE GEEST (16 August 1592 – c. 1661) was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from Friesland. He was born and died at Leeuwarden. He learned painting from his father, Simon Juckesz, a stained glass worker. He studied later with Abraham Bloemaert. From 1614 to 1618 he travelled in France and Italy on a Grand Tour. In 1616 he met up with Leonard Bramer in Aix-en-Provence. While in Rome he became a member of the painters' circle known as the Bentvueghels. He earned the nickname 'De Friesche Adelaar', or "the Frisian Eagle".
De Geest married Hendrickje Fransdr Uylenburgh in 1622, a niece of Saskia van Uylenburgh, the wife of Rembrandt. In 1634, just before his own marriage, Rembrandt visited De Geest's studio. In 1636 the Frenchman Charles Ogier, secretary to Cardinal Richelieu visited De Geest, to view his large collection of curiosities and coins.
De Geest was the most important portrait painter of Friesland and painted numerous portraits of the well-to-do citizens of his day, many of which survive in the Fries Museum. Perhaps the most intimate portraits he painted were those of his direct family. De Geest influenced Jacob Adriaensz Backer, and his students were Jan Jansz. de Stomme, and Jacob Potma. His sons Julius and Frank also became painters.
SIZE: 29 x 22.5 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: English Private Collection for many generations.
£8,950
Portrait of a Member of the Cocks/Woodroffe ...
Item Ref
9259/6
Oil on canvas in a good early 19th century frame. In the background a faint rural scene of woodland.
This is a charming portrait of a young lady, painted in Hysing's direct but informal style, very similar to his master Michael Dahl.
The sitter has been called Margaret Woodroffe, nee Cocks, but the portrait style and clothing are too early for that. Margaret Cocks was born in 1739, married Solomon Woodroffe in 1757, and died in 1809. It is possible that this was her mother.
VERSO: a handwritten label by a member of the family that includes the words 'Her son, Thomas Woodroffe was Aunts Gilbert's Father. Aunt Gilbert was our great great Aunt."
This 'skipping' of a generation or two is quite common in family histories which are often passed on with no serious research.
Regardless of the sitter's exact identity, this is a good portrait, typical of the artist and of its time.
HANS HYSING or Huyssing (1678-1752/1753), born at Stockholm in Sweden. He came to England in 1700 as assistant to his fellow Swede Michael Dahl, the portrait-painter, with whom he lived for many years.
He succeeded after Dahl's death to his practice, and adopted his manner. He was patronised by the family of George II, and painted the queen, the three royal princesses, and George III as a boy.
Many of his portraits, including Sir Robert Walpole, the speaker Arthur Onslow, Dr. John Theophilus Desaguliers, James Gibbs (the architect), were engraved in mezzotint by John Faber (1695-1756), and others. George Vertue describes portraits by him of the French engraver Joseph Goupy as 'well painted, much in Mr. Dahl's later manner.'
SIZE: 36 x 30.5 inches, including the frame.
PROVENANCE: By family descent, then to a private Westmoreland collection.
This is a charming portrait of a young lady, painted in Hysing's direct but informal style, very similar to his master Michael Dahl.
The sitter has been called Margaret Woodroffe, nee Cocks, but the portrait style and clothing are too early for that. Margaret Cocks was born in 1739, married Solomon Woodroffe in 1757, and died in 1809. It is possible that this was her mother.
VERSO: a handwritten label by a member of the family that includes the words 'Her son, Thomas Woodroffe was Aunts Gilbert's Father. Aunt Gilbert was our great great Aunt."
This 'skipping' of a generation or two is quite common in family histories which are often passed on with no serious research.
Regardless of the sitter's exact identity, this is a good portrait, typical of the artist and of its time.
HANS HYSING or Huyssing (1678-1752/1753), born at Stockholm in Sweden. He came to England in 1700 as assistant to his fellow Swede Michael Dahl, the portrait-painter, with whom he lived for many years.
He succeeded after Dahl's death to his practice, and adopted his manner. He was patronised by the family of George II, and painted the queen, the three royal princesses, and George III as a boy.
Many of his portraits, including Sir Robert Walpole, the speaker Arthur Onslow, Dr. John Theophilus Desaguliers, James Gibbs (the architect), were engraved in mezzotint by John Faber (1695-1756), and others. George Vertue describes portraits by him of the French engraver Joseph Goupy as 'well painted, much in Mr. Dahl's later manner.'
SIZE: 36 x 30.5 inches, including the frame.
PROVENANCE: By family descent, then to a private Westmoreland collection.
£3,950
Portrait of a Gentleman of the Adams ...
Item Ref
9301
A fine portrait typical of Dahl's mature style. Painted within a feigned oval, the sitter is relaxed but views us with a direct gaze, The high quality carved and giltwood frame is the original.
MICHAEL DAHL (1659-1743) was born in Stockholm; after studying in Paris, Rome and Frankfurt he settled in London in 1689. He soon became the best patronised portrait painter in England after Kneller. He was much employed at the Court painting many portraits; a great patron of the 1690s was the Duke of Somerset, for whom he painted the series of portraits of Court ladies known as the 'Petworth Beauties'.
His style is extremely close to Kneller but his interpretation of character is less brash and more human.
SIZE: 37.75 x 32.75 x 2.25 inches.
PROVENANCE: A copperplate hand written inscription "***well Adams"
Old label verso identifying the sitter as a member of the Adams family.
A Ston Easton inventory sticker P23.
Consigned to Christies from a Hull private collection.
Latterly in a Surrey private collection.
MICHAEL DAHL (1659-1743) was born in Stockholm; after studying in Paris, Rome and Frankfurt he settled in London in 1689. He soon became the best patronised portrait painter in England after Kneller. He was much employed at the Court painting many portraits; a great patron of the 1690s was the Duke of Somerset, for whom he painted the series of portraits of Court ladies known as the 'Petworth Beauties'.
His style is extremely close to Kneller but his interpretation of character is less brash and more human.
SIZE: 37.75 x 32.75 x 2.25 inches.
PROVENANCE: A copperplate hand written inscription "***well Adams"
Old label verso identifying the sitter as a member of the Adams family.
A Ston Easton inventory sticker P23.
Consigned to Christies from a Hull private collection.
Latterly in a Surrey private collection.
£8,950
Portrait of a Member of the Bishop ...
Item Ref
9135
Oil on canvas in an 18th century giltwood frame. The sitter was a brother of James Bishop of Lower Tre-Kyninge, uncle of Anne Bishop, afterwards Rogers. There was an old label to this effect on the back of the frame, now unfortunately lost.
The sitter wears a costly silk robe, very fashionable for informal wear, yet he retains his formal wig for his portrait. The statement being made is all to do with wealth and status. He is depicted writing, an indication that he was of a literary inclination.
The Bishops were a Cornish gentry family, possessed of several estates. However, when Anne Bishop, sole daughter and heiress of James Bishop Esq, of Lower Tre-Kyninge, married Hugh Rogers Esq, High Sheriff of Cornwall, in 1770, all Bishop possessions passed to the Rogers family.
In late 2018 Charles Rogers of Penrose House died, and in 2019 this portrait and others were sold.
This portrait is not signed by the artist, but others in the collection were, and it is obvious that the same hand was responsible. The signature was 'B. Burghende'. This was Bartholomeus van Burgindis, a Dutch artist, working from 1663-1703. He painted many of the Cornish gentry and one of his portraits is in The Royal Cornwall Museum; Dr. Nathaniel Spry, dated 1703.
SIZE: 34 x 31.75 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: By descent through the Bishop and Rogers families of Penrose Estate, Porthleven, Cornwall.
The sitter wears a costly silk robe, very fashionable for informal wear, yet he retains his formal wig for his portrait. The statement being made is all to do with wealth and status. He is depicted writing, an indication that he was of a literary inclination.
The Bishops were a Cornish gentry family, possessed of several estates. However, when Anne Bishop, sole daughter and heiress of James Bishop Esq, of Lower Tre-Kyninge, married Hugh Rogers Esq, High Sheriff of Cornwall, in 1770, all Bishop possessions passed to the Rogers family.
In late 2018 Charles Rogers of Penrose House died, and in 2019 this portrait and others were sold.
This portrait is not signed by the artist, but others in the collection were, and it is obvious that the same hand was responsible. The signature was 'B. Burghende'. This was Bartholomeus van Burgindis, a Dutch artist, working from 1663-1703. He painted many of the Cornish gentry and one of his portraits is in The Royal Cornwall Museum; Dr. Nathaniel Spry, dated 1703.
SIZE: 34 x 31.75 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: By descent through the Bishop and Rogers families of Penrose Estate, Porthleven, Cornwall.
£3,250
Portrait of Elizabeth Ogle, Circle of Michael ...
Item Ref
9096
Oil on canvas in a fine carved and giltwood period frame c.1695.
ELIZABETH OGLE, (later Elizabeth Case), baptised 1674, was a member of a notable Lancashire gentry family of ancient origin. This portrait was very probably painted on the occasion of her marriage to Jonathon Case.
A parrot demonstrated the wealth of the sitter able to own such an exotic creature from non-European lands, and it wasn’t just the live birds that were valued, the plucked feathers of parrots were valued too.
Also...curiously...the parrot symbolised virginity. This was probably because of its association with the Virgin Mary in earlier art.
OGLE OF WHISTON. Arms: Argent, a fesse between three crescents gules.
The Ogles appear in Lancashire in the middle of the fifteenth century as stewards of the manor of Prescot. John Ogle, the earliest known, is said to have been a son of Sir Robert, first Lord Ogle, who died in 1469. Early in 1472 John Ogle of Prescot purchased lands in Rainhill from John, son and heir of Hugh Woodfall. Margaret, widow of John Ogle, and Roger their son purchased lands from John Travers, and the family continued to prosper, becoming possessors of the manors of Whiston and Halsnead, the purchaser being John Ogle.
John's son and heir Henry, born about 1586, married in 1610 Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Whitby of Chester, and had by her a numerous offspring. He died about 1649, but does not seem to have taken any part in the Civil War. Two of his sons, however, took arms on the king's side. Cuthbert, the eldest, received a commission from the Earl of Derby, but soon retired, and in 1646 took the National Covenant in London and compounded for his estates by a fine of £120. Henry his brother, holding a similar commission, took part in the defence of Lathom House.
Cuthbert died in 1670, the heir being his son Edward, whose daughter and eventual heir Elizabeth carried the manor to her husband Jonathan Case, of the Red Hazels in Huyton. About the beginning of last century the manor was held by Richard Willis of Halsnead, to whose heirs it has descended; but the hall was then in the possession of John Ashton Case, a Liverpool merchant, great-grandson of the above-named Jonathan.
MICHAEL DAHL (1659-1743) was born in Stockholm; after studying in Paris, Rome and Frankfurt he settled in London. He soon became the best patronised portrait painter in England after Kneller. He was much employed at the Court painting many portraits; a great patron of the 1690s was the Duke of Somerset, for whom he painted the series of portraits of Court ladies known as the 'Petworth Beauties'.
SIZE: 44 x 36 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: By descent through the family of the sitter. VERSO: old handwritten labels by Mary Radcliffe (bearing incorrect dates) and Thomas Edward Case.
ELIZABETH OGLE, (later Elizabeth Case), baptised 1674, was a member of a notable Lancashire gentry family of ancient origin. This portrait was very probably painted on the occasion of her marriage to Jonathon Case.
A parrot demonstrated the wealth of the sitter able to own such an exotic creature from non-European lands, and it wasn’t just the live birds that were valued, the plucked feathers of parrots were valued too.
Also...curiously...the parrot symbolised virginity. This was probably because of its association with the Virgin Mary in earlier art.
OGLE OF WHISTON. Arms: Argent, a fesse between three crescents gules.
The Ogles appear in Lancashire in the middle of the fifteenth century as stewards of the manor of Prescot. John Ogle, the earliest known, is said to have been a son of Sir Robert, first Lord Ogle, who died in 1469. Early in 1472 John Ogle of Prescot purchased lands in Rainhill from John, son and heir of Hugh Woodfall. Margaret, widow of John Ogle, and Roger their son purchased lands from John Travers, and the family continued to prosper, becoming possessors of the manors of Whiston and Halsnead, the purchaser being John Ogle.
John's son and heir Henry, born about 1586, married in 1610 Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Whitby of Chester, and had by her a numerous offspring. He died about 1649, but does not seem to have taken any part in the Civil War. Two of his sons, however, took arms on the king's side. Cuthbert, the eldest, received a commission from the Earl of Derby, but soon retired, and in 1646 took the National Covenant in London and compounded for his estates by a fine of £120. Henry his brother, holding a similar commission, took part in the defence of Lathom House.
Cuthbert died in 1670, the heir being his son Edward, whose daughter and eventual heir Elizabeth carried the manor to her husband Jonathan Case, of the Red Hazels in Huyton. About the beginning of last century the manor was held by Richard Willis of Halsnead, to whose heirs it has descended; but the hall was then in the possession of John Ashton Case, a Liverpool merchant, great-grandson of the above-named Jonathan.
MICHAEL DAHL (1659-1743) was born in Stockholm; after studying in Paris, Rome and Frankfurt he settled in London. He soon became the best patronised portrait painter in England after Kneller. He was much employed at the Court painting many portraits; a great patron of the 1690s was the Duke of Somerset, for whom he painted the series of portraits of Court ladies known as the 'Petworth Beauties'.
SIZE: 44 x 36 inches including the frame.
PROVENANCE: By descent through the family of the sitter. VERSO: old handwritten labels by Mary Radcliffe (bearing incorrect dates) and Thomas Edward Case.
£4,350
Portrait of a Young Gentleman c.1685; Attributed ...
Item Ref
8817
Oil on canvas in later giltwood frame.
The fashionable and expensively dressed sitter looks confidently out of the frame as if surveying his extensive lands.
His high wig (from which fashion came the expression 'big-wig' for someone important), his silks, his sword and particularly his stance, all make this the archetypal Baroque portrait.
The pose and treatment of the material are typical of Kerseboom. The hugely expensive lace is depicted with great care and skill.
This type of portrait was usually on a larger scale e.g. 50 x 40 inches; the fact that this is 'in small' suggests that it was for the 'cabinet'...the intimate room for favoured possessions that was so fashionable during the Baroque period. Perhaps painted for a wife or lover?
JOHN (JOHANN) KERSEBOOM (working 1680s - 1708) Born in Solingen, the Rhineland; came to England in the 1680s he quickly acquired a large portrait clientele. His patterns derive from Lely and Kneller, but his heads have recognisable individuality. He charged £16 10s for a framed 50 x 40 in 1694.
SIZE:canvas size; 20 x 16 inches.
24.25 x 20 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Private Collection.
The fashionable and expensively dressed sitter looks confidently out of the frame as if surveying his extensive lands.
His high wig (from which fashion came the expression 'big-wig' for someone important), his silks, his sword and particularly his stance, all make this the archetypal Baroque portrait.
The pose and treatment of the material are typical of Kerseboom. The hugely expensive lace is depicted with great care and skill.
This type of portrait was usually on a larger scale e.g. 50 x 40 inches; the fact that this is 'in small' suggests that it was for the 'cabinet'...the intimate room for favoured possessions that was so fashionable during the Baroque period. Perhaps painted for a wife or lover?
JOHN (JOHANN) KERSEBOOM (working 1680s - 1708) Born in Solingen, the Rhineland; came to England in the 1680s he quickly acquired a large portrait clientele. His patterns derive from Lely and Kneller, but his heads have recognisable individuality. He charged £16 10s for a framed 50 x 40 in 1694.
SIZE:canvas size; 20 x 16 inches.
24.25 x 20 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Private Collection.
£4,950
Portrait of a Gentleman c.1765; Circle of ...
Item Ref
9263
Oil on canvas in a fine period frame.
This is an excellent portrait very much influenced by Allan Ramsay; the sitter regards us with a level and confident gaze with no arrogance or posturing. A portrait that makes one feel that the sitter was truly a gentleman of good character.
ALLAN RAMSAY 1713–1784.
Ramsay was born in Edinburgh. His father, also Allan Ramsay, was an important Scottish poet from whom the younger Ramsay inherited a tradition of strong nationalistic pride. Ramsay junior was instrumental in formulating a native Scottish style of painting, as his father had done for poetry.
Ramsay studied in London at St Martin's Lane Academy and at Hans Hysing's studio, before going to Italy. He worked from 1736 to 1738 at the French Academy in Rome under Francesco Imperiali and under Francesco Solimena in Naples. On his return he settled in London, although he continued to be active in Edinburgh. Between 1754 and 1757 he was in Italy, mostly in Rome. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1743. During his prime period he had a virtual monopoly on court painting. He became the official painter to George III in 1760, and Principal Painter-in-Ordinary in 1767. His assistants included David Martin, Alexander Nasmyth and Philip Reinagle.
SIZE: 38.5 x 33.25 inches framed
PROVENANCE: Long term private collection, Wiltshire.
This is an excellent portrait very much influenced by Allan Ramsay; the sitter regards us with a level and confident gaze with no arrogance or posturing. A portrait that makes one feel that the sitter was truly a gentleman of good character.
ALLAN RAMSAY 1713–1784.
Ramsay was born in Edinburgh. His father, also Allan Ramsay, was an important Scottish poet from whom the younger Ramsay inherited a tradition of strong nationalistic pride. Ramsay junior was instrumental in formulating a native Scottish style of painting, as his father had done for poetry.
Ramsay studied in London at St Martin's Lane Academy and at Hans Hysing's studio, before going to Italy. He worked from 1736 to 1738 at the French Academy in Rome under Francesco Imperiali and under Francesco Solimena in Naples. On his return he settled in London, although he continued to be active in Edinburgh. Between 1754 and 1757 he was in Italy, mostly in Rome. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1743. During his prime period he had a virtual monopoly on court painting. He became the official painter to George III in 1760, and Principal Painter-in-Ordinary in 1767. His assistants included David Martin, Alexander Nasmyth and Philip Reinagle.
SIZE: 38.5 x 33.25 inches framed
PROVENANCE: Long term private collection, Wiltshire.
£5,950
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