Richard Crosse

wearing a white dress trimmed with gold braid and a large plumed hat with bows, enamelled gold and silver-gilt frame set with cultured pearls

Anonymous sale in these Rooms, 29 November 1976, lot 64

Ivory ground. Most of the painted image is in very good condition, however, scattered over the background are a number of patches of treated foxmarks. Decolourisation is minimal but the surface sheen made up of pigment and gum arabic has been broken. The reverse of the frame is tarnished.
"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 present work is an edited version of a larger shaped rectangular miniature of Miss Turner by Crosse which depicted the sitter seated three-quarter length and holding a book (illustrated Schidlof 1964, vol. III, pl. 145, fig. 271). The half-length format used here was effectively dictated by the choice of an oval ground. Interestingly, the fuller composition was engraved by Robert Thew and titled 'Reflections on Werter [sic]'. This is a somewhat surprising designation as in neither of the miniatures do the sitter's untroubled features suggest her being moved by the powerful emotions expressed in Goethe's tragic novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, first published in 1774.

Richard Crosse's ledger records that on the 20 February 1786 he 'received of Miss Turner for her D[itt]o. 3^rd size £12 12s' (see Long 1929, p. 77). It is not evident to which of the two versions of Miss Turner's portrait this payment refers.