Thomas Gainsborough, R.A.

A.J. Sulley, Esq., London;
Alexander Reid, Esq., Glasgow;
With John Levy Galleries, Inc., New York;
Mrs. Benjamin Jones, Jr, Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania;
Her posthumous sale, New York, Parke-Bernet Galleries, 4-5 December 1941, lot 82;
There purchased by J.J. Gillespie & Co., Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati Art Museum, Thomas Gainsborough Exhibition, 1931, no. 16, plate 7 in the catalogue.

E.K. Waterhouse, Gainsborough, London 1958, p. 74, cat. no. 373.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has an old English lining and is noticeably dirty. The paint layer is stable, and the lining can certainly remain. It is painted on a very fine piece of canvas. No retouches are visible under ultraviolet light because of the heavy old varnish. The dress, chest and bow around the neck seem to be very healthy. Although the texture of the paint has been slightly flattened in lining, it will become more noticeable when the picture is cleaned. The condition looks respectable around the mouth and the lower part of the face. However, in many cases, the character and features of these 18th century sitters have become cosmetically adjusted over the years, and this picture is no exception. There are restorations around the eyes, and in the nose and forehead, which have brought a more contemporary allure to these features. Successive restorations here may have abraded some areas of the paint. Given the weakness that dark colors tend to exhibit, one can expect that there is thinness and restoration in the background and in the hair as well. Nonetheless, this picture will change quite dramatically for the better in the right restorer's hands.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Eleanor, daughter of James Hobson, Esq., of Kirkby Moorside, Yorkshire, married the Rev. James Willoughby, Rector of Guisley, near Otley, Yorkshire. When this portrait, painted circa 1765, was sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries (see Provenance), it was noted that a photograph of the painting hung in the dining room of the rectory at Guisley, which is where the painting itself probably hung for decades. Hobson and Willoughby had one son and two daughters; their grandson Hervey Willoughby (1817-1877) eventually his cousin as 8th Baron Middleton of Middleton, Co., Warwick.

We are grateful to Hugh Belsey for supporting the attribution to Gainsborough, based on photographs. Mr. Belsey will include this picture in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the works of Gainsborough.