Sir Henry Raeburn, R.A.

By descent from the the sitter to her son, Sir George Grant-Suttie (1797-1878);
Possibly Edward Mallinckrodt;
With Colnaghi's, London;
Anonymous Sale, London, Sotheby's, 16 May 1990, lot 46 (bt. for £5200 by the present owner)

Edinburgh, The Raeburn Exhibition, 1876, no. 38 (lent by Sir George Grant Suttie);
Previously on loan to St Louis, Art Museum

Sir W. Armstrong, Sir Henry Raeburn, London and New York 1901, p. 113;
J. Greig, Sir Henry Raeburn, R.A. His Life and Works, London 1911, p. 61

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint. There is a very dirty, yellowed old varnish overall. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals infilling to craquelure and scattered strengthening in the sitter's costume and in flesh tones. There is minor infilling to craquelure in her cheek and an opaque varnish overall. FRAME Held in a carved and gilded neo-classical wooden frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com, or Ludo Shaw Stewart on +44 (0)207 293 5816, or at ludovic.shawstewart@sothebys.com.
"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 sitter was the second daughter of James Hamilton of Bangour. On 18th April 1792 she married Sir James Suttie, 4th Bt., of Balgone, who, in 1818 on the death of his aunt, the Countess of Hyndford, inherited the estate of Preston Grange from his maternal grandfather, and took on the name of Grant-Suttie.

The Balgone estate is just outside North Berwick and it is possible that the unusual conical hill in the background on the right is meant to represent Berwick Law, a local landmark. If this is the case then it is one of only a handful of Raeburns portraits to include a topographical element.

The portrait was painted in circa 1795. We are grateful to Duncan Thomson for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs.