Lot Essay
The sitter was the artist's wife, identified by Ralph Edwards in his 1934 Connoisseur article, though there is no comparative material on which to base this identification.
Details
John Raphael Smith (1752-1812)
Portrait of a Lady, traditionally identified as the artist's wife, half-length, wearing a black dress and a large hat
with inscription on an old label attached to the backboard 'By = J.R. Smith/1752-1812/Mrs. J.R. Smith.'; pastel, oval
10¾ x 8¾in. (274 x 224mm.)
Portrait of a Lady, traditionally identified as the artist's wife, half-length, wearing a black dress and a large hat
with inscription on an old label attached to the backboard 'By = J.R. Smith/1752-1812/Mrs. J.R. Smith.'; pastel, oval
10¾ x 8¾in. (274 x 224mm.)
Provenance
The Rt. Hon. F. Leverton Harris, 1924.
Mrs Leverton Harris; Christie's, 8 June 1928, lot 26 as 'Portrait of a Lady' (25 gns. to Smith).
J. Thursby-Pelham.
Mrs. Guy Argles and by descent.
Mrs Leverton Harris; Christie's, 8 June 1928, lot 26 as 'Portrait of a Lady' (25 gns. to Smith).
J. Thursby-Pelham.
Mrs. Guy Argles and by descent.
Literature
R. Edwards, J.R. Smith and his Pupils, Connoisseur, XCIII, February 1934, p.97.