JOHN SMART (BRITISH, 1742/43-1811)

Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more

PROPERTY FROM AN ITALIAN PRIVATE COLLECTION

Details

JOHN SMART (BRITISH, 1742/43-1811)
Charlotte Bertie, Countess of Abingdon, née Warren (c. 1751-1794), in fur-bordered white silk dress pinned at corsage with gem-set brooches, ermine-bordered blue shot-silk cloak, upswept auburn hair decorated with pearls and set with olive green gauze veil
signed in full and dated 'J Smart 1777' (lower left)
on ivory
oval, 2¼ in. (57 mm.) high, gold frame, the reverse engraved 'Charlotte Countess of Abingdon Aged 26 years'

Provenance

The Earl of Abingdon; Sotheby's, London, 9 May 1928, lot 131 (275 gns).
Harry Seal; Christie's, London, 16 February 1949, lot 69 (189 gns to Agnew).
With Sotirio Bulgari, Rome.

Literature

G. C. Williamson, The History of Portrait Miniatures, London, 1904, II, p. 3.
D. Foskett, John Smart, The Man and his Miniatures, London, 1964, p. 61.

Exhibited

London, South Kensington Museum, Special Exhibition of Portrait Miniatures, 1865, no. 1084 (lent by the Earl of Abingdon).

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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Lot Essay

Charlotte Warren was the daughter of Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Warren and Ann de Lancy. In 1768 she married Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon, son of Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon and Anna Maria Collins. After her marriage she was styled as the Countess of Abingdon. The preparatory sketch of the present miniature (illustrated above) is in the Edward B. Greene Collection, The Cleveland Museum of Art (no. 1941.572). In 1768 John Smart painted the sitter's husband and this miniature was also in the collection of the Earl of Abingdon, later sold Sotheby's, London, 9 May 1928, lot 131 and subsequently in the collection of Harry Seal, sold Christie's, London, 16 February 1949, lot 68 (80 gns to Agnew).

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