Johan Zoffany R.A.

By descent to the sitter's nephew, William Locker;
Thence by descent to the Rt. Hon. Godfrey Locker Lampson, MP;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 14 December 1928, lot 88;
Where acquired by Mr. Glen;
Anonymous sale, London, Robinson & Fishers, 26 March 1936, lot 103;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 27 January 1950, lot 163;
Where acquired by Mr. Ettlinger;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 April 1997, lot 34;
There acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado.

Denver, The Denver Art Museum, 600 Years of British Painting, The Berger Collection at The Denver Art Museum, 10 October 1998 - 28 March 1999.

J. Blackwood, "Pioneer of English Fieldwork," Country Life, March 30, 1978;
600 Years of British Painting, The Berger Collection at The Denver Art Museum, Denver 1998, p. 129, reproduced;
J. Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery, Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, London 2004, p. 446;
P. Treadwell, Johan Zoffany, Artist and Adventurer, London 2009, p. 61, reproduced p. 60;
M. Webster, Johan Zoffany 1733-1810, New Haven and London 2011, pp. 70, 655, note 32.

ENGRAVED:
Robert Shipster, circa 1772;
Valentine Green, 1782;
J. Basire, 1810.

The relining is firm and stable and the painting is presentable as is. The surface has been slightly pressed in the relining and a slight degree of thinness is apparent in the darks of the jacket, left side of hair and in background. Overall, however, the painting reads very well and presents a strong image. Under UV light: there are some retouches to the face, mostly along the shadowed right side, some small cosmetic ones in hair and hands. Some are also scattered on jacket in the form of reinforcements of the darker folds. A few others on book, table and in background. This painting can be hung in its present state. Offered in a carved and gilt wood 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.

Benjamin Stillingfleet was born into a family of theologians and academics. His grandfather was bishop of Worcester and his father a professor of physics.  He studied at Cambridge University where he excelled at classics and mathematics.  In 1724, he settled at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk to be a tutor to seven year old William Ashe-Wyndham, eventually accompanying him on his European Grand Tour from 1737-1743.  Stillingfleet’s interests were wide ranging.  He played the cello, and wrote verse, plays and literary criticism.  His greatest achievements, however, were in the field of botany.  He became the leading advocate of the Linnaean classification system first set forth by the great Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus.  Stillingfleet’s publication of Miscellaneous Tracts in 1759 brought the work of Linnaeus wide recognition in England, and he wrote his own original treatise, Observations on Grasses.  This portrait, painted in circa 1762, depicts Stillingfleet with his left hand holding a copy of Linnaei Species Plantarum, a magnifying glass in his right hand, and grasses strewn on the table, a clear reference to his own botanical research.  Another version of this portrait by Zoffany, formerly in Rippon Hall, Hevingham, is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London.