Portrait of a young lady, with downcast eyes, bust-length

Isaac Oliver was born in France of a Huguenot family who came to England. Oliver travelled widely and visited Italy in 1596. It has been suggested that the present sensitive drawing dates from after this visit. Stylistically it is similar to a Sheet of studies of men and women in the Courtauld Institute (see G. Reynolds, Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver, London, 1971, no. 201, pl. XLVII0). Works by Oliver are rare and the present drawing has been in several prestigious collections including that of the artist and connoisseur Jonathan Richardson Senior (1665-1745), the distinguished bibliographer Theodore Besterman (1904-1976), whose sale was held in these Rooms, November 1981, and Colin Hunter (1926-2013), who was particularly attracted to works, which had previously belonged to other well-known collectors.