Details
ENGLISH SCHOOL
An unfinished portrait of a lady called Mrs Jordan, née Dorothea Bland (1762-1816), in white dress and large hat with ostrich plumes
On ivory
Oval, 70 mm. high, gilt-metal frame with blue glass reverse on guilloché foil, the surround engraved 'Dorothy Bland, Mrs Jordan, by Rdus. Cosway. R.A. 1798'
Provenance
Possibly The Earls of Munster, presumably by descent from the sitter's family.
Possibly Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth (1849-1909), in 1895.
Sotheby's, London, 11 November 1993, lot 13.
Literature
G. C. Williamson, Richard Cosway, R.A., and his Wife and Pupils, London, 1897, illustrated opposite p. 26, listed on p. 122 within a group of miniatures belonging to The Lord Tweedmouth, dated 1789.
A. Aspinall [ed.], Mrs Jordan and her Family, London, 1951, illustrated frontispiece (as in the possession of the Earl of Munster).
P. H. Highfill, Jr., et al, A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800, Illinois, 1982, p. 260 ('Portraits of Dorothy Jordan include: [...] 3. By Richard Cosway. Miniature in the possession of the Earl of Munster').
R. Walker, Regency Portraits, London, 1985, I, p. 285.
Exhibited
London, Grafton Galleries, Grafton Street, 'Fair Women', Summer Exhibition, 1894, no. 189 (as dated 1789, lent by Lord Tweedmouth).
London, Moncorvo House, 64 Ennismore Gardens, Richard Cosway R.A. and Maria Cosway, May 1895, no. 149 (lent by Lord Tweedmouth).
Special notice
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.
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