Sir Thomas Lawrence P. R .A.

The sitter, Rebecca, Lady Simeon;
By descent to Laura, Lady Simeon, widow of Sir Edmund Simeon, 5th Bt.;
Her sale, London, Christie's, July 4, 1919, lot 35, for 2520gns to Agnew;
With Agnews, by whom sold to;
Horace Trumbauer, New York;
With French and Co., New York, 1955;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, November 24, 1999, lot 67.

 

Columbus, Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Sir Thomas Lawrence as Painter and Collector, October 7–November 13, 1955, cat. no. 26.

K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence, London 1954, p. 58;
K. Garlick, "A Catalogue of the paintings and drawings of Sir Thomas Lawrence", in The Walpole Society, vol. XXXIX, p. 177;
K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence, New York 1989, pp. 265-6, cat. no. 718, reproduced p. 265, fig. 718 (as whereabouts unknown).

The canvas is relined. U.V. light reveals retouching along the areas of craquelure, as well as areas around mouth, right cheek, and neck. Larger areas of retouching in the form of cross-hatchings are present along the left middle and upper background. Overall, the painting is well preserved and retains much of the original impasto. Painting can be hung in its present state.
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.

Kenneth Garlick dates this painting to the early 1790s, the decade of Lawrence's first great successes as a portrait painter; he was appointed Painter in Ordinary to George III at the age of twenty-four in 1792.¹  It shows his expressively confident brushwork and delicate use of impasto and glazes which give such life and glamour to his portraits.

The sitter was the eldest daughter of John Cornwall of Hendon House. On June 14th 1783 she married Sir John Simeon Bt. (1756-1824) of Walliscot, Oxfordshire. Her husband was M.P.for Reading. A practicing barrister and member of Lincoln's Inn, he was Recorder of Reading 1779-1807 and Master in Chancery from 1795-1808 when he became Senior Master.

1.  K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence, New York 1989, pp. 265-6, cat. no. 718, reproduced p. 265, fig. 718.