Still lifes of floral bouquets

Gustavus Hamilton was a painter employed around 1750 by Samuel Dixon of Capel Street, Dublin, who found fame with his two popular series of embossed bird pictures of 1750 and 1755. Writing of Dixon's establishment in his Recollections, the painter and actor John O'Keefe (1747-1833) noted the pictures 'were painted by three youths of considerable merit: the eldest James Riley: Gustavus Hamilton, the son of a clergyman: and my brother Daniel. They lived in Dickson's house and had a table and everything comfortable and respectable'. While employed all three remained students in the Dublin Society's drawing school and later became miniature painters of merit. A pair of flower pictures, inscribed to the reverse GH and DK respectively, was sold Christie's, London, 23 September 2010, lot 181 (£5,250 inc' prem'), and a set of six, attributed to Samuel Dixon but certainly executed by one of his painter-employees was sold Christie's, London, 13 November 2018, lot 2 (£26,250 inc' prem').