.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The subjects of this picture are traditionally believed to be Laurence Sterne (1713-1768), the clergyman and celebrated author of Tristram Shandy and A Sentimental Journey, and Maria one of his fictional characters. The few surviving portraits of Sterne include that by Sir Joshua Reynolds of 1761 (National Portrait Gallery), satirical studies by Thomas Patch and George Cruikshank, a marble bust by Nollekens and a posthumous genre portrait by William Powell Frith.
Paul Falconer Poole, born in Bristol, the son of a grocer, was almost entirely self-taught as an artist and specialised in portraits, historical subjects and genre scenes. As a young man, Poole became involved with the wife of his fellow artist, Francis Danby, who reciprocated by subsequently fleeing to Europe with Poole's wife.
Paul Falconer Poole, born in Bristol, the son of a grocer, was almost entirely self-taught as an artist and specialised in portraits, historical subjects and genre scenes. As a young man, Poole became involved with the wife of his fellow artist, Francis Danby, who reciprocated by subsequently fleeing to Europe with Poole's wife.