George Romney

Presumably Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 7^th Duke of Richmond and 2nd Duke of Gordon (1845-1928);

Temporarily with Thos. Agnews & Sons Ltd., London, in 1904 (probably as part of a retransfer of ownership within the Brassey family);

Thence by descent to Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox's daughter, Lady Violet Brassey (1874-1946) (her collection labels on the reverse of the canvas);

Thence by descent to her son, Hon. Cecil Henry Brassey (1896-1949);

Thence by descent to his wife, Hon. Victoria Ivy Louise Brassey (1897-1983);

By whom sold ("The Property of the Hon. Mrs. Cecil Brassey"), London, Christie’s, 24 March 1950, lot 12;

There acquired by Bowyer (for 90 gns);

Private collection, United Kingdom;

By whom anonymously sold(“Property of a Nobleman”), London, Sotheby’s, 15 March 1978, lot 16;

To Agnew's;

Private collection, San Francisco;

Thence by bequest to the Filoli Museum and Gardens.

J. Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, London 2004, p. 399;

A. Kidson, George Romney: A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, New Haven and London 2015, vol. II, p. 489, cat. no. 1092b, reproduced.

This is one several autograph versions of a portrait painted by George Romney of Charles Lennox, 3^rd Duke of Richmond (1735-1806). The Duke, who sat multiple times for this likeness between 1775-1777, specifically chose to be portrayed reading a book, a surprisingly informal and unconventional pose for a member of the peerage.¹ Romney’s final portrait was widely admired and served to further establish his reputation after returning to London from Italy in the summer of 1775.²

In addition to the prime version, the Duke commissioned from Romney four copies of his portrait most probably for his family and close friends. The prime version of this portrait has yet to be identified with certainty; although Ingamells praised the present canvas as “apparently of prime quality,” Alex Kidson lends the favor of primacy to the version in the National Portrait Gallery in London,³ which is of slightly larger dimensions than the others and, in the distance, includes a view of Chichester and its cathedral as seen from the Duke’s family seat at Goodwood.   

The sitter was the son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond and Lennox (1701-1750) and his wife Sarah (1706-1751), daughter of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan. In 1757, the 3^rd Duke married Lady Mary Bruce (1740-1796), daughter and co-heir of Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury and 4th Earl of Elgin, and his wife, Lady Caroline Campbell. An army officer and later a politician, the 3^rd Duke was a passionate patron of the arts. In February 1758, at the age of 23, he was elected a member of the Society of Arts and served as its Vice-President from 1761 until his death. In the same year he established a sculpture gallery at his house in Whitehall which was open to any artist who wished to study the collection. The Duke was an important patron of George Romney, who painted a number of portraits of the Duke and his family, as well as George Stubbs, who painted many scenes of hunting and racing at Goodwood, both favored pastimes of the Duke’s.⁴ 

Although the earliest ownership history of the present version is unknown, by the early 20^th century, it was in the collection of Lady Violet Brassey, daughter of Charles Henry, 7^th Duke of Richmond, suggesting this was one of the portraits that was passed down for generations in the family. 

We are grateful to Alex Kidson for endorsing an attribution to George Romney after firsthand inspection. 

1. On 25 November 1775, the Duke wrote to Edmund Burke: “Romney has finished [a portrait] for me which for my own conveniency I chose to have reading, and altho’ the Brilliancy of my Eyes are lost, I believe you will think it a good and a like Portrait when you see it.” Kidson 2015, vol. II, p. 488. 

2. In addition to the several copies known of this portrait, it was also engraved by James Watson on 21 December 1778. See, for example, the print in the British Museum (inv. no. 1902,1011.6496). 

3. Inv. no. NPG 4877, oil on canvas, 32 by 27 inches.

4. It was the 3rd Duke who established the famous racecourse at Goodwood and installed heated kennels for his hounds.