Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A.

By descent from the sitter to Lord Chesham of Latimer, Chesham, Buckinghamshire;
By whom sold to Knoedler & Co., London in 1922;
With M. Knoedler & Co., London, where purchased circa 1938 by the family of the present owner.

Agnew's Galleries, London, 1904, cat. no. 12 (lent by Lord Chesham);
M. Knoedler & Co. Inc., London, A Loan Exhibition of English XVIIIth Century Portraits of Children, April 24 - May 23, 1931, cat. no. 15;
Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fogg Art Museum, Exhibition of Eighteenth Century English Painting in Honor of Professor Chauncey B. Tinker of Yale, May 5 - 19, 1930, cat. no. 70 (on loan from Knoedler's);
New York, Union League Club, Exhibition of Paintings of the 18th Century School , February 10 -19, 1933, cat. no. 19;
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Tentoonstelling van Oude Kunst, 1936, cat. no. 129;
Washington Gallery, February 1938.

T. Taylor and C.R. Leslie, Life and Times of Sir Joshua Reynolds with Notices of Some of his Contemporaries, vol. ii, London 1865, p. 468;
F. G. Stephens, English Children as Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, London 1884, p. 75;
Sir W. Armstrong, Sir Joshua Reynolds, First President of the Royal Academy, London 1900, p. 199; 
A. Graves and W. V. Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., London 1899, vol. I, p.160;
E.K. Waterhouse, Reynolds, London 1941, p. 76;
D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, London 2000, vol. I, p. 127, cat. no. 338, p. 599, vol. II, p. 539, fig. 1429.

ENGRAVED:
S.W. Reynolds (and other eminent engravers), Engravings from the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., iii, no. 20.

Painting has an old glue relining and is under a dirty, yellowed varnish. This picture presents a charming image yet, as with many paintings in Reynold's oeuvre, it has suffered from the artist's experimental techniques. Fundamentally, this involved the inclusion of additives to the paint which, with age, has caused a heavyish seizing of some areas of paint and other disfigurement in the paint layer. In the aforementioned relining, the paint surface was flattened somewhat. The blue pigments have oxidized slightly, particularly in some areas of the sky and it appears that previous restorations have made attempts to cover the heavyish craquelure with cosmetic retouches. The extent of these restorations is difficult to judge given the extremely dirty old varnish. The figure of the boy does appear to have retained its coloration, particularly in the face and the bravura brushwork of the artist. In short, this is an important and impressive painting by the artist, however one will not know the full extent of what restoration will need to be done until the process is undertaken. In a carved and gilt woodk frame with some nicks and losses.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

William Cavendish was the eldest son of Lord George Augustus Henry Cavendish (younger son of the 4th Duke of Devonshire) and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Compton.  Born on January 10, 1783, Cavendish was painted by Reynolds when he was just an infant.  The artist's appointments with the young boy are recorded at two o'clock on May 29, 31, June 1, 2, 3, October 20, and at nine thirty on November 18, 1784, when Cavendish was still shy of two years old.  On July 22, there is a note written by Reynolds, 'Mr. Cavendish to be finished', and in Reynolds' Ledger the sum of £105 is noted, but not paid, July 1784, 'Lady G. Cavendish, for their Son, £105'.¹

Reynolds painted a number of portraits of the Dukes of Devonshire and their families: in 1753, just after his return from Italy, Reynolds painted William's great-grandfather, the 3rd Duke of Devonshire, one of the artist's first sitters of high rank.²  Reynolds also painted, among other Cavendishes, William's grandfather, 4th Duke of Devonshire (1758-59), his uncle, the 5th Duke Devonshire (1766-67) and William's mother, Lady Elizabeth Compton, in 1781.  The portrait of Lady Elizabeth, like that of her son, was with Knoedler & Co. in 1922, who in turn sold it to Andrew W Mellon.

William Cavendish was Member of Parliament for Ailesbury in 1804, and for Derby, 1806 - 1812, and Colonel of Derbyshire Militia.  On July 18, 1807, he married Louisa, daughter of First Lord Lismore.  They had three sons and one daughter, the eldest of whom became the second earl of Burlington and 7th Duke of Devonshire.  Tragically, William was killed in 1812 at only twenty nine years old: according to Graves and Cronin, he was "thrown from his curricle in Holker Park, returning from a shooting excursion in company with his younger brother. He pitched on his head and never spoke again afterwards."³


1.  M. Cormack, "The Ledgers of Sir Joshua Reynolds," in Walpole Society, 1968-1970, vol. 42, p. 149.
2.  D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, London 2000, vol. I, p. 123.
3.  A. Graves and W. V. Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., London 1899, vol. I, p.160.