May 24, 2022 10:00 EST
Old Masters Paintings & Silver
57
George Romney
British, 1734-1802
Portrait of Mrs. Nicholas, ca. 1768-69
Oil on canvas
36 1/4 x 27 15/16 inches (92 x 71 cm)
Provenance:
Kerr Heirlooms from the North of Ireland
Lewis & Simmons, London and New York, 1927
Newhouse Galleries, New York, 1930
The Honorable Alanson B. Houghton, Ambassador from the United States to the United Kingdom; said to have been given to Ambassador Houghton by the Royal Family
By descent in the Houghton family to the present owner
Literature:
Art News, March 15, 1930, illus.
William Roberts, Mrs. Nicholas by George Romney (1734-1802) (New York, privately printed, n. d.)
Alex Kidson, George Romney: Complete Catalogue of his Paintings (New Haven and London, 2015), Vol. II, p. 433, no. 957, illus. (as untraced)
William Roberts, in his publication noted above, suggested that Mrs. Nicholas may have been related to the Captain Nicholas whose portrait the artist painted in 1770. The lady is shown holding a copy of "The Seasons," a cycle of four poems published from 1726 to 1730 by the Scottish writer James Thomson, which was for many years one of the most widely read poems in the English language.
We are most grateful to Alex Kidson for his assistance in cataloguing this painting.
Sold for $12,500
Estimated at $15,000 - $25,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
George Romney
British, 1734-1802
Portrait of Mrs. Nicholas, ca. 1768-69
Oil on canvas
36 1/4 x 27 15/16 inches (92 x 71 cm)
Provenance:
Kerr Heirlooms from the North of Ireland
Lewis & Simmons, London and New York, 1927
Newhouse Galleries, New York, 1930
The Honorable Alanson B. Houghton, Ambassador from the United States to the United Kingdom; said to have been given to Ambassador Houghton by the Royal Family
By descent in the Houghton family to the present owner
Literature:
Art News, March 15, 1930, illus.
William Roberts, Mrs. Nicholas by George Romney (1734-1802) (New York, privately printed, n. d.)
Alex Kidson, George Romney: Complete Catalogue of his Paintings (New Haven and London, 2015), Vol. II, p. 433, no. 957, illus. (as untraced)
William Roberts, in his publication noted above, suggested that Mrs. Nicholas may have been related to the Captain Nicholas whose portrait the artist painted in 1770. The lady is shown holding a copy of "The Seasons," a cycle of four poems published from 1726 to 1730 by the Scottish writer James Thomson, which was for many years one of the most widely read poems in the English language.
We are most grateful to Alex Kidson for his assistance in cataloguing this painting.
Glue relined; crushed impasto; abrasion. Old restoration: the face heavily restored; shadows in the clothing reinforced.
Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and our Organization shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available.
Auction: Old Masters Paintings & Silver, May 24, 2022
