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拍品專文
Francis Cotes' luminous pastel of Mary Colebrooke, the sixteen year old daughter of Sir James Colebrooke, is surely one of his most remarkable portraits: complex, highly finished and executed at the height of his powers. Signed and dated 1766, it was produced at a moment in which Cotes was regarded as the greatest pastellist of his generation, excelling the likes of Rosalba Carriera (1673-1757), Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789), Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) and Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). His remarkable understanding of pastel pigments allowed him to push the boundaries of the medium, often using a liquid base to give his work the extraordinary intensity and vitality seen in the present work.
Cotes trained under the portraitist George Knapton (1698-1778), who was later Surveyor and Keeper of the King's Pictures. Much of his early work retains the slightly stiff nature of Knapton's style and the somewhat doll-like, rococo faces which were popular at the time. However, by the mid-1750s Cotes's mature style had developed, with its great emphasis on the sitter's individuality. By 1763 he had a successful portrait practice and was based in a large house in fashionable Cavendish Square, with two studios and a gallery, where prospective clients could be shown his work and his society sitters would feel at home.
The present drawing is perhaps the 'portrait of a lady; in crayons' which was exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1766. Certainly, its highly finished state and elaborate background set it apart from the norm and give it an impact which would have allowed it to stand out in an exhibition. Whilst posing young women in romantic, classical settings had been popularised by Sir Joshua Reynolds several years earlier, it was still unusual in pastel portraits. The setting here was probably requested by the patron, thought to be the sitter's uncle, Sir George Colebrook of Gatton Park, Surrey. Mary Colebrooke's loose, classical costume, its sleeves pinned with elaborate jewels, is typical of the 'Grand Manner' society portraiture of the period, giving a sense of her status and elegance. Cotes in fact used the same costume and jewels for his portrait of Mrs Child, also exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1766 and now in the collection of the Earl of Jersey.
Cotes trained under the portraitist George Knapton (1698-1778), who was later Surveyor and Keeper of the King's Pictures. Much of his early work retains the slightly stiff nature of Knapton's style and the somewhat doll-like, rococo faces which were popular at the time. However, by the mid-1750s Cotes's mature style had developed, with its great emphasis on the sitter's individuality. By 1763 he had a successful portrait practice and was based in a large house in fashionable Cavendish Square, with two studios and a gallery, where prospective clients could be shown his work and his society sitters would feel at home.
The present drawing is perhaps the 'portrait of a lady; in crayons' which was exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1766. Certainly, its highly finished state and elaborate background set it apart from the norm and give it an impact which would have allowed it to stand out in an exhibition. Whilst posing young women in romantic, classical settings had been popularised by Sir Joshua Reynolds several years earlier, it was still unusual in pastel portraits. The setting here was probably requested by the patron, thought to be the sitter's uncle, Sir George Colebrook of Gatton Park, Surrey. Mary Colebrooke's loose, classical costume, its sleeves pinned with elaborate jewels, is typical of the 'Grand Manner' society portraiture of the period, giving a sense of her status and elegance. Cotes in fact used the same costume and jewels for his portrait of Mrs Child, also exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1766 and now in the collection of the Earl of Jersey.