Lot 44
  • 44

George Engleheart

Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 GBP
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Description

  • George Engleheart
  • Portrait of Frances Doyle, née Rainsford (d. 1806)
  • signed with initial l.r.: E, circa 1790
  • 6.5 by 5.2 cm.; 2 9/16 by 2 1/8 in.
wearing a white dress with blue ribbons and a two-strand gold bead necklace, her hair tied with a blue bandeau, gold frame set with pearls, blue glass reverse

Provenance

Anonymous sale in these Rooms, 29 November 1976, lot 89

Condition

Ivory ground This miniature is in good condition, save slightest surface flecking in the left background and scratching around the artist's initial - this was possibly to ensure that it was not to distracting. The blue glass border on the reverse of the frame is cracked in four places.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Frances was the daughter of Mark Rainsford of Salleen, County Kildare. She married firstly, Ellice Doyle Welbourne (d. 1797), an army officer who rose to the rank of Major-General, and secondly Prince Joseph of Monaco (1763-1816), second son of Honoré III, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

Prince Joseph came to live in England after he had been forced into to exile by the French Revolution. Like Frances, he had been married before. His first wife Françoise-Thérèse, the younger daughter of the Marquis de Louvois, had lost her life at the guillotine in July 1794.