Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A. 1723-1792

Half length, wearing a maroon fur-trimmed coat and a yellow waistcoat

Commissioned by Pole Cosby of Stradbally Hall and thence by descent until sold, Sotheby's, 20th November 1985, lot 40

Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, Winter Exhibition of Old Masters, 1902-3, no. 6 

Algernon Graves and W.V. Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1899, Vol. I, p. 378;
Malcolm Cormack, "The Ledgers of Sir Joshua Reynolds", Walpole Society, 1970, Vol. 42, p. 115 (entry under 1765 - 'Mr Crosby (sic) for two pictures the Duke of Grafton and / Lord Halifax - £52-10 Pd);
David Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, 2000, Text Volume, no.637, Plates Volume, fig. 421

The canvas has been lined. There is a fine weave of craquelure to the paint surface which is characteristic for a painting of this age. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals a thick green varnish which obscures a clear reading. However, there would appear to be some cosmetic retouching to the sitter's nose, eyes and lips, as well as to his hair and the collar of his coat. Held in a gilt wood frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The sitter was the eldest son of Lord Augustus Fitzroy and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Colonel William Cosby of Stradbally. He succeeded his grandfather as 3^rd Duke of Grafton in 1757, and was at once made Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, a post which he held till 1763 and again from 1769 to 1790. His active role in politics began with the ministry of Lord Bute when he allied himself with the opposition and took up Wilkes’s cause. In 1765 he was the Secretary of State in Rockingham’s brief ministry and became Lord of the Treasury in 1766 under Pitt. From 1767 he took charge of the government but came under fierce attack from neglect of his duties – in Horace Walpole’s words he thought 'the world should be postponed to a whore and a horse race'. In 1768 he was unanimously elected to Chancellor of Cambridge University. He resigned office in 1770, but in 1771 he took office as Privy Seal in Lord North’s Ministry. He resigned in 1775 over the difficulties in America, and remained out of office until 1782 when he joined Lord Rockingham’s cabinet as Lord Privy Seal. From 1783 he was out of office. In 1756 he married Anne, daugther of Henry, Lord Ravensworth, but the marriage was dissolved after her elopement with John Fitzpatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory. In 1769 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Wrottesley.

Pole Cosby was the first cousin of Elizabeth Cosby, the sitter's mother, and in view of this family connection he must have commissioned the portrait. He also commissioned from Reynolds a portrait of Lord Halifax, Elizabeth Cosby's uncle.