|

Item Ref. 3790

JAMES SHARPLES (circa 1751-1811)

This is a very fine pair of half-length pastel portraits of a gentleman and a lady from the Ingilby Family of North Yorkshire. The gentleman has a powdered wig and is wearing a royal blue coat and a white stock. In the background can be seen the bare trunks of trees. His wife is wearing a brown dress with a white lace fill-in and a delicate lace shawl. Her close cap is trimmed with a bow and fastened under the chin.

The portraits are executed in pastels on blue-grey paper'. They are both signed on the backing board: J. Sharples, Grosvenor Place, Hyde Park corner, London. They are set in the original oval giltwood frames with pie-crust edging. Excellent condition.

Framed size: 13¼ x 11½" (335 x 293mm)
Provenance: Sleningford Grange, Ripon, North Yorkshire

Price: £2,000

Item Ref. 2721

ENGLISH SCHOOL, circa 1790

This is a finely drawn late eighteenth century plumbago portrait of a young lady in a classical décolleté dress with a high drawstring bodice and long narrow sleeves. Her hair is worn in long loose curls under a 'half- handkerchief' hat.

The portrait is set in a beautiful wide frame (believed to be burr walnut) with great patina and a gilt slip. The sides of the frame are also veneered which is always a sign of a quality frame. Fine condition.

Framed size: 11½ x 10¼" (292 x 260mm)

Price: £350

Item Ref. 3716

ENGLISH SCHOOL, circa 1840

This is a delightful watercolour portrait of two children: Charles Ruddell-Todd and his sister Mary. Charles, very smart in his white trousers, buttoned waistcoat and blue coat, looks about ten years old. Mary, seated on an upholstered giltwood chair, is wearing her best dress trimmed with blue satin ribbons over white lace drawers. She has delicate satin slippers and fine black lace mittens. Next to her on the chair is her cosseted spaniel whilst Charles's little whippet dances round his feet demanding equal attention.

The portrait is watercolour on card and is unsigned. It is in excellent condition and is presented freshly mounted in a beautifully grained deep rosewood veneer frame. The frame has a small loss of veneer to one corner.

Framed size: 17¾ x 14¼" (423 x 360mm)

Price: £675

Item Ref. 3328

FRANÇOIS THÉODORE ROCHARD (1798-1858)

This is a beautiful three-quarter-length portrait of a young lady in a garden landscape wearing a pink silk dress, the bodice and skirt lavishly trimmed with flounces of fine black lace, and a pink rose at her corsage. Her long brown hair is arranged in ringlets adorned with pink roses and green leaves and she is holding a white lace handkerchief.

Watercolour on paper signed and dated in gold F. Rochard 3.49 (i.e. March 1849). It is housed in the original gilded wood frame with composition decoration.

Painting: 177/8 x 101/4" (405 x 260mm)
Framed size: 243/4 x 181/2" (625 x 470mm)

Price: £2,000

Item Ref. 3694

ENGLISH SCHOOL, circa 1830

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a personal orchestra or, at the very least, a quartet! On offer are four full-length watercolour portraits of musicians including near-identical twins on the violin. Both men are wearing brown tail-coats and grey trousers and sport the same bushy hair style and side-whiskers. Virtually the only difference between them is that one brother appears to be stouter. One is indistinctly named as Mr Watman (Watson?); the portrait of his brother is inscribed 'A View at Wallsend, Northumberland'. Accompanying the violins is a flautist who is wearing a blue tail-coat straining at the buttons is identified as Alderman Wood. And finally there is a serious young pianist perched on a stool. Again his name is difficult to decipher.

The portraits are painted in watercolour over pencil. They are presented in matching bird's eye maple frames with gilt slips. Please note there is minor water-staining on the bottom right hand edge of two portraits (see supersized images for full details).

Framed size: 13¼ x 11¼" (338 x 287mm)

Price: £800

Item Ref. 3421

ENGLISH or IRISH SCHOOL, circa 1780

Presented here is an elegant pair of miniature pastel profiles of a mother and daughter. The mother is identified as Mrs Sydenham Singleton and she is wearing a blue gown. Her powdered hair is swept back with curls on her neck and is topped with a veiled head-dress. Her daughter is identified as Charity Spencer (née Singleton, 1757-1787) and she is wearing a grey dress trimmed with rows of pearls over a white fill-in. Her powdered hair is similarly swept up with a long tress draped over one shoulder and is decorated with more pearls.

The portraits are finely drawn in pastels and are reminiscent in all but size of the work of Irish pastellist Hugh Douglas Hamilton (1740-1808) whose output of society portraits represented a veritable who’s who of the day.

The portraits are set in matching brass-faced frames with verre églomise mounts. Fine condition.

Framed size: 6¾ x 5¾" (175 x 145mm)

Price: £1,200