Lot Essay
This portrait has traditionally been attributed to John Vanderbanck but is now thought to be the the work of his close contemporary Bartholmew Dandridge who Vertue considered the ablest exponent of such conversation pieces of his time. Stylistically it can be compared to Dandridge's triple portrait of the Noel sisters, the three eldest daughters of the 4th Earl of Gainsborough (Manchester City Art Galleries; See E. Einberg, Manners and Morals: Hogarth and British Painting 1700-1760, exhibition catalogue, Tate Gallery, London, 1987, p. 113, no. 95, illustrated).
The sitters in the portrait were unidentified at the time of the Christie's sale in 1956 but were later identified as members of the Craven family.
The sitters in the portrait were unidentified at the time of the Christie's sale in 1956 but were later identified as members of the Craven family.