A South-east view of Leybourne Grange, Kent

The present painting was likely commissioned directly from the artist, as one of a group of three views of Leybourne Grange in Kent, by Francis Whitworth who purchased the house in 1724. The other views include this painting's pendant, a view of the house from the north-east (Private collection, England), and a 'chimney piece' depicting the ruins of Leybourne Castle (Government Art Collection, United Kingdom). In addition to his work as a landscape painter, George Lambert was also a celebrated scene painter, working for the actor-manager John Rich for much of his career. Lambert's sets were cited in playbills by the Covent Garden theater for years after his death, until they were lost to a fire in 1808. Lambert collaborated with many artists during his theatrical career, including Jacopo Amigoni, Franz de Paula Ferg, and William Hogarth, all of whom may have contributed figures to his landscape paintings. While it has been speculated that the lively figures in the present work were painted by William Hogarth, Elizabeth Einberg notes the staffage for the Leybourne Grange pictures, as well as those for Dunton Hall (1739), Fonthill (1740) and Clock's House (1742), among others, are stylistically closer to signed and dated works by Joseph Nickolls (see Einberg, loc. cit.).