John Haythorne of Bristol

John Haythorne, seen here as a fresh-faced young man in a powdered tye wig, tan coat and white waistcoat, was born in 1767, the son of a Bristol banker and glass manufacturer. John became a prosperous wool merchant and married Mary Margaret Curtis, the daughter of a prominent Bristol merchant. John was elected Mayor of Bristol four times between 1808 and 1825. He died in 1845.

The portrait is painted by Abraham Daniel, son of Nochaniah Daniel of Bridgewater and brother of fellow artist Joseph and watchmaker Phineas. All three worked in the Bath / Bristol area benefitting from the steady influx of well-to-do visitors drawn by the area’s renowned health-sustaining waters.

The portrait is beautifully framed in gold, perhaps by the artist’s brother, the front with borders of gold-studded white enamel, blue guilloche enamel and pearls. The reverse with bright-cut decoration is inset with a love token in the form of a navette-shaped sepia miniature laid on brown hair and showing a classical maiden seated under a tree playing the lyre.