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Lot Essay
This intriguing picture has traditionally been thought to depict George III with the Dukes of York and Cumberland at Cheltenham. As Sir Nathaniel Wraxall records in his memoirs, George III did indeed make a visit to Cheltenham, inspired by the Earl of Fauconberg, a member of the King's bedchamber, who apparently suffered from 'a violent scorbutic humour in his face' and derived great benefit from the mineral waters there (The Historical and the Posthumous Memoirs of Sir Nathaniel William Wraxall, 1772-1784, V, H.B. Wheatley, ed., London, 1884, pp. 159-160). The seated figures in this group portrait are all wearing the 1767 pattern uniform of full Generals - the singly-set buttons are one indication of their rank, and their buff waistcoats date the painting to pre-1772, when they were changed to white by regulation. However, it would have been highly unusual to depict the King and his brothers without their breast stars of the Order of the Garter or any lesser Order. This anomaly may, in fact, give some clue as to the identity of the artist and the circumstances in which the picture was painted - the inconsistencies of the officers' dress, combined with the prominence of the standing figure, make it tempting to speculate that the picture could have been commissioned by, for example, an innkeeper, to record a famous visit. In this instance, the artist would certainly not have been afforded sittings, nor would he have had access to the uniforms themselves. The artist may have had to rely on verbal descriptions alone, which perhaps explains why the still-life on the table appears to be of a higher calibre than the portraits.
Viscount St Cyres (1869-1926), son of the 2nd Earl of Iddesleigh, was married to Dorothy Morrison (d.1936), daughter of the great Victorian businessman and collector, Alfred Morrison. They had no children and this picture was presumably inherited by her great nephew Charles Morrison (1932-2005), Member of Parliament for Devizes from 1964 until 1992.
Viscount St Cyres (1869-1926), son of the 2nd Earl of Iddesleigh, was married to Dorothy Morrison (d.1936), daughter of the great Victorian businessman and collector, Alfred Morrison. They had no children and this picture was presumably inherited by her great nephew Charles Morrison (1932-2005), Member of Parliament for Devizes from 1964 until 1992.