Lot Essay
The label on the reverse of this portrait identifies the sitter as Joseph Mansell, (sic.) but is incorrect in dating it to the early 1720s as it can certainly be dated to the 1760s. There are several possibilities for the sitter, the difficulty being the different way the surname is spelt. Bussy Mansel, fourth and last Lord Mansel died in 1750 and his ancestor Thomas 2nd Lord Mansell, commissioned 'The Sacrifice of Iphigenia' from Batoni in 1741-2. Although no Joseph appears in this pedigree, a branch of the family went to Ireland, and they usually spelt the name Maunsell. A Joseph Maunsell of Curagh, Co. Galway, had a son, also called Joseph; Joseph Senior married a Miss Fitzgerald of Stone Hall, Co. Limerick, and Joseph Junior married Elizabeth, daughter of H. Widenham; no definite dates appear for either (see C.A. Maunsell and E.P. Strattan, The Family of Maunsell, I, II, pp.44, 485). Another possibility is the Joseph Mansell of Leeds, listed in The Gentleman's Magazine as marrying a Miss Cape of Bunhill Row on 19 March 1770. Another Joseph Mansell married Elizabeth Bowyer on 27 December 1763 at St. Anne's, Soho. Finally, the name Mansell appears frequently in the 18th Century in Hertfordshire records: a Joseph, son of Richard Mansell, was baptised at Aldenham in 1729, a Joseph, son of Zachariah Mansell, was baptised there in 1737, and a Joseph, son of John Mansell was baptised in 1731 at Essendon. Two marriages are also recorded - Joseph Mansell to Ann Blackwell on 16 may 1756 at Abbots Langley, and another of the same name married a Miss Godwin at Northraw in February 1771.
Nathaniel Dance arrived in Rome in May 1754, and stayed until 1765. At the time, to study in Italy - copying Old Masters, working in drawing academies or established studios - was an essential factor to complete an artist's training. At first he concentrated on classical subjects, which were intended for exhibition in London at the newly founded Society of Artists, but his studies in England, with Francis Hayman also made him continue to paint portraits; and he developed a style of small full lengths, often in landscapes. But it was perhaps when he met and went to work with Batoni that the greates influence is shown in such portraits. Mention is made of Batoni in correspondence from Nathaniel and his brother George, also in Rome, to their father in England; Nathaniel had recently become a partner in the older artist's portrait practice, in a development in his career that excited him. 'I am now in such a situation in Rome that I cannot fail of making acquaintance, with some of the greatest people of England', he wrote on 3 February 1762. Portraits, often full length and life size, followed of those making the Grand Tour, including the first Royal commission for a portrait of the Duke of York, and the two artists sometimes collaborated on paintings, for example the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Craster of 1762. The great debt that Dance owed to Batoni is evident in the style and colouring not only of his portraits but of his historical paintings, and the present portrait clearly shows this influence and dates from a time when the two artists were working together.
Nathaniel Dance arrived in Rome in May 1754, and stayed until 1765. At the time, to study in Italy - copying Old Masters, working in drawing academies or established studios - was an essential factor to complete an artist's training. At first he concentrated on classical subjects, which were intended for exhibition in London at the newly founded Society of Artists, but his studies in England, with Francis Hayman also made him continue to paint portraits; and he developed a style of small full lengths, often in landscapes. But it was perhaps when he met and went to work with Batoni that the greates influence is shown in such portraits. Mention is made of Batoni in correspondence from Nathaniel and his brother George, also in Rome, to their father in England; Nathaniel had recently become a partner in the older artist's portrait practice, in a development in his career that excited him. 'I am now in such a situation in Rome that I cannot fail of making acquaintance, with some of the greatest people of England', he wrote on 3 February 1762. Portraits, often full length and life size, followed of those making the Grand Tour, including the first Royal commission for a portrait of the Duke of York, and the two artists sometimes collaborated on paintings, for example the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Craster of 1762. The great debt that Dance owed to Batoni is evident in the style and colouring not only of his portraits but of his historical paintings, and the present portrait clearly shows this influence and dates from a time when the two artists were working together.