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Lot Essay
Benjamin Cole (c.1739-1815) was a Government Broker and member of the Drapers' Company. He served as Sheriff of London and Middlesex from 1782-83, the year after the present portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy. It shows Cole with his wife (née Steer), their two daughters Harriet and Maria, and infant son, Benjamin in what would appear to be an idealised garden setting. Although an old handwritten label attached to the stretcher of the picture suggests the portrait is of 'Benjamin Cole, at his home, at Frognal, Hampstead...', the estate did not belong to the family until circa forty years after the picture was painted. Frognal is first recorded as being in the hands of a Benjamin Cole in 1826 and 1832, presumably the son, who appears in the picture as a baby.
John Downman was a pupil of the artist Benjamin West (1738-1820) before studying at the Royal Academy Schools in 1769. In 1773 he toured Italy with Joseph Wright of Derby, A.R.A. (1734-1797), remaining there under Wright's tutelage until 1775. On his return to England, Downman turned to portrait painting for a living, and became a successful society portraitist.
John Downman was a pupil of the artist Benjamin West (1738-1820) before studying at the Royal Academy Schools in 1769. In 1773 he toured Italy with Joseph Wright of Derby, A.R.A. (1734-1797), remaining there under Wright's tutelage until 1775. On his return to England, Downman turned to portrait painting for a living, and became a successful society portraitist.