George Romney

three-quarter length, seated, he wearing a brown suit, she a white satin dress, a blue curtain beyond

commissioned from the artist by Sir John Chetwode;
by descent

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition. There is one very small abrasion to the male sitter's right leg. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals a layer of discoloured and opaque varnish overall. There is some extremely minor retouching to the edges of the canvas. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded Carlo Maratta frame. A professional condition report for this lot is available upon request.
"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."

This important and hitherto unrecorded portrait is one of the most significant works produced by the artist in his formative first years in London before he left for Italy in 1773. In 1767 Romney had returned to London from a visit to Kendal to see his family and moved into substantial lodgings in Great Newport Street. Not only did this mean that he was able to mix with the artistic community in the vicinity of Covent Garden, but it also provided the space to paint a series of more ambitious portraits in direct competition to Reynolds. In 1768 he produced one of his most ambitious compositions, The Leigh Family (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne), which he exhibited at the Free Society. In 1769, the year of the Chetwode portrait, he painted another ambitious portrait, The Warren Family (Private Collection). These three portraits established him as Reynolds's chief rival as a portraitist alongside Francis Cotes.

The sitters in the portrait are Sir John Chetwode, 3rd Bt (1732-1779) and his wife Dorothy (1737-1769), heir to Tobias Bretland of Thorncliffe near Chester. Sir John was the eldest son of Sir Philip Chetwode, 2nd Bt and his wife Elizabeth Venables. From the thirteenth century the Chetwode family had owned the Chetwode estate in Buckinghamshire, and had acquired the manor of Oakley in Staffordshire on the marriage of an heiress of the de Oakley family to a Chetwode. In 1710 Sir John's grandfather, the first baronet, built Oakley Hall, an imposing mansion near Drayton in Staffordshire which stood in a substantial park on the East bank of the river Terne. The house was remodelled in 1800 by Sir John' s son, John, husband of Lady Henrietta Grey daughter of the 5th Earl of Stamford.