Attributed to Gainsborough Dupont

Probably commissioned by King George III (1738-1820) and Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) as a pair of half lengths 'for Windsor Lodge, at £52.10s.' before being recorded by Charles Wild in the Green Pavilion at Frogmore by 1817 (see catalogue note);
Probably bequeathed by the Royal family to Sir Henry Halford, 1st Baronet (1766-1844) Wistow Hall, Leicester, Physician Extraordinary to George III, following the death of Queen Charlotte in 1818 (according to an old label on the reverse);
Thence by decent to Sir Henry Halford, 3rd Baronet (1828-1897), Wistow Hall, Leicester, who upon his death bequeathed Wistow Hall and its contents to the 3rd Baron Cottesloe;
Thomas Francis Fremantle, 3rd Baron Cottesloe (1862-1956);
Thence by decent to his son John Walgrave Halford Fremantle, 4th Baron Cottesloe (1900-1994), Swanbourne House;
Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Christie's, 15 December 1993, lot 25 for £4,500.

On loan to the Cabinet Office, July 1965, no. 7101.

O. Millar, The Later Georgian Pictures in the Royal Collection, London 1969, vol. I, p. 32

The catalogue illustration is representative. The canvas has been lined and the paint surface appears to be in very good overall condition with no apparent damage or loss of paint visible to the naked eye. There is also a nice thrread of impasto evident in the paint, however there is some very minor old bitchumising in the darker pigments of his shoulders Examination under ultraviolet reveals the preene of a mottled discoloured varnish. There are some minor scattered cosmetic flecks of retouching in the background, and some further more minor flecks in the fleshtones as well as strengthening to the areas of shadow on the right hand side of his face. Otherwise the picuture appears to be in good structurally sound condition. Offered in gilt wood and plaster frame in good overall 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."

After his uncle's death Gainsborough Dupont recieved commissions for a number of royal portraits. An undated bill (National Portrait Gallery) mentions a pair of half lengths by Dupont of the King and Queen 'for Windsor Lodge at £52.10s.'. This picture may be the same as that recorded in 1817 by Charles Wild (1781-1835) in his watercolour of the Green Pavilion at Frogmore which was subsequently published in 1819 as an aquatint engraving in W. H. Pyne's The History of the Royal Residences (see literature, p. 32, footnote 1). The pose is modelled on the 1781 full-length portrait of the King by Thomas Gainsborough at Windsor Castle (see literature, p. 33, cat. no. 766), and may be a direct copy of the reduced oval version by Gainsborough at Windsor Castle. Dupont has however distinguished his varient by opening up the left hand lapel of the sitter's collar.