A pair of portraits by famed portraitist George Dawe will be auctioned for the first time in Roseberys’ Old Master, British & European Pictures sale. Dawe was an accomplished English painter who executed over three hundred portraits of Russian generals active during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, for the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. The striking works offered here depict Ebenezer Fuller Maitland, an English landowner and politician, and his wife Bethia and son William, with Park Place in Berkshire visible in the background.
Also debuting at auction is a rare portrait study of composer Felix Mendelssohn, aged twelve. The black and white chalk drawing by Carl Joseph Begas comes directly from Mendelssohn’s family and was a study for a full-size portrait destroyed by fire in the early 20th century. An oil sketch version is held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Lot 126: Carl Joseph Begas, German 1794-1854- Portrait study of Felix Mendelssohn, aged twelve
The Italian section of the sale includes a newly discovered oil sketch in the oeuvre of Luigi Garzi. ‘Susanna’, presumably cropped from a composition of ‘Susanna and the Elders’ was painted in c.1683 and derives from a black chalk sketch which is in Warsaw’s Narodowe Museum. Another early Italian highlight is by Paolo Farinati which has never been seen on the auction market before. Farinati’s ‘The Holy Family’ on copper comes from the esteemed collection of art historian John F. Hayward, and is an excellent example of the artist’s Mannerist style, praised by Vasari.
Lot 26: Luigi Garzi, Italian 1638-1721- Susanna
A strong royal interest section is led by a enamel on copper by Henry Bone, RA, depicting King George IV as Prince Regent, and based on a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence. A depiction of King Edward VI, by a follower of William Scrots, is also expected to draw strong bidder interest. The original painting, dating to 1550, was likely produced during Edward VI’s marriage negotiations with Elisabeth of Valois, with a notable full-length version in King Charles III’s collection. Furthermore, the sale contains a striking portrait sketch of Alvilde Bridges by Irish artist John Lavery. This was a study for his lost 1931 Royal Academy work, 'Their Majesties' Court, Buckingham Palace', which depicted a court presentation of debutantes at Buckingham Palace.
Lot 108: Henry Bone, RA, British 1755-1834- King George IV (1762-1830) as Prince Regent
Estimate: £5,000 - £8,000
The auction includes the private collection of the late Hugo Morley-Fletcher Collection, European ceramics specialist at Christie’s and longtime BBC Antiques Roadshow contributor. The group is highlighted by a large-scale oil by Alexander Nasmyth and a suite of early Scottish portraiture by artists including Adam de Colone, David Scougall, Jacob Huysmans and the Studio of Sir Peter Lely.
Lot 13: Alexander Nasmyth, Scottish 1758-1840- Portrait of a gentleman
The collections of scholars Professor W. M. Ballantyne and Eric G. Stanley will also be included in the auction. Professor Ballantyne (1922-2021), a distinguished lawyer and expert in Middle Eastern law, amassed an impressive art collection. It is led by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone’s allegorical bozzetti, ‘The Triumph of the Arts’. The Eric G. Stanley Prints Collection features well-provenanced engravings spanning the Renaissance to the late 18th century.
Lot 76: Carlo Innocenzo Carlone, Italian 1686-1775- The Triumph of the Art
Estimate: £7,000 - £10,000
Further old masters from the collection of Mary and Alan Hobart, founders of Pyms Gallery, will be included, following a highly successful auction in November 2024.
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