Sir Francis Grant P.R.A.

The panel is sound. There are one or two extremely light surface scratches to the extreme upper left corner just beneath the frame and some further minor frame abrasion elsewhere. Otherwise in good condition. Held in a decorative gold painted composite frame in fair condition.
"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."

A gifted amateur painter in his youth, Francis Grant took up painting professionally in 1831.  His early studies were with his fellow Scottish artists Alexander Nasmyth, William Allan and Sir John Watson Gordon.  He made a niche for himself with the painting of equestrian portraits, and his successful depiction of Queen Victoria out riding in 1840, made him the most fashionable painter of his day. 

The Winter Walk is entirely characteristic, both in style and handling, of Sir Francis Grant's more informal portraits depicting friends, family and members of his closer circle.  The large swathes of lustrous black in the picture, offset by brilliant patches of red, reflect a signature colouration of the artist at this date as seen most notably in Grant's portrait of his daughter Daisy (Mrs Markham), produced in 1857 and generally regarded to be one of his finest works. The use of a panel support and the freely-sketched, almost impressionistic, details of the background landscape are, again, typical of Grant's oil studies; in this instance, these are directly comparable to the study for the portrait of the Ladies Susan and Constance Murray of 1841, now in the collection of the Earl of Mansfield at Scone Palace.

We are grateful to Dr Catherine Wills, for her assistance in cataloguing this work and for dating it to the late 1830s.