George Romney

With Thos. Agnew and Sons, Ltd., London, by 1957;
R.G. Shaw;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 7 March 1958, lot 77, for 1,100 Guineas to Latter; 
Anonymous sale, San Francisco, Butterfield and Butterfield, 27 March 1991, lot 4063;
Roger Whittaker, Cubberly House, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire;
His sale, held on the premises of Cubberly House, Sotheby's, 12 July 1999, lot 47.

London, Thos. Agnew and Sons, Ltd., Recently Acquired Pictures by Old Masters, 19 November-21 December 1957, no. 16.

The Illustrated London News, 14 December 1957;
A. Kidson, George Romney: A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, New Haven and London 2015, vol. III, p. 719, cat. no. 1570, reproduced (as an unknown man). 

The canvas is lined. The painting presents a strong image beneath a clear varnish. It retains good detail in areas, as well as some of the original impasto, for example on his epaulette. Inspection under UV reveals fine lines of inpainting in the background to address craquelure. A very few scattered fine lines are also visible in the sitter's face and costume, with some to address craquelure in in the center of his coat, and with the most prominent spots being to the right of his collar and between the lower buttons of his coat. Can be hung in its current state. Offered in a carved giltwood frame.
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.

Since the time this portrait appeared on the art market with Agnew’s in the late 1950s, the sitter had been identified as Sir George Grey (1767-1828), whom Romney had painted at the age of seventeen in 1784.¹  Agnew’s catalogue (see Exhibited) dated the present portrait to 1793, when the sitter would have been twenty-six.  Alex Kidson (see Literature) finds this to be implausible and, in addition, there is no record of the commission at that time or later.  Furthermore, he dates the picture earlier stylistically to the first half of the 1780s, noting that the spaniel appears in a number of Romney’s portraits of that period.

1.  See A. Kidson, under Literature, cat. no. 555.