George Romney (1734-1802) Portrait of Mrs Thomas Raikes

George Romney (1734-1802) Portrait of Mrs Thomas Raikes, neé Charlotte Finch, with her daughter Both seated on a terrace, a park beyond Oil on canvas 50 x 40in Mrs Raikes was the wife of Thomas Raikes (1741-1813) and had four sons and five daughters. It is not known which one of her daughters is depicted here. Thomas Raikes was a British Merchant and went on to be Governor of the Bank of England 1797-99. During his time as Governor the 1797 currency crisis occurred when the Government prohibited the Bank from paying out in gold and ordered them to use banknotes instead. We are grateful to Alex Kidson for his help in cataloging this lot. Provenance: By descent in the Raikes family Purchased from them by Joseph Ruston His sale Christie's July 4th 1913 lot 122, purchased by Asher Wertheimer Sold to Edward R. Bacon (d.1915) Purchased from the estate of Mrs Bacon in 1919 by Henry Clay Frick for Eagle Rock, his residence at Pride's Crossing Massachusetts By descent to Helen Clay Frick Lent to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard and to the Dallas Museum of fine Arts Given in 1949 to Mrs John Fife Symmington, Jr. of Lutherville, Maryland Christie's New York 23rd January 2004 as from the estate of the now Martha Frick Symmington (she had divorced in 1988 and died in 1996) Literature: H. Ward and W. Roberts, Romney, London, 1904, II, p. 129. J. B. Townsend and W. S. Howard, Memorial Catalogue of Paintings by Old and Modern Masters Collected by Edward R. Bacon, privately printed, New York, 1919, p. 40, illustrated. A number of sittings for Mrs. Raikes are recorded in the artist's journals for 1786 and 1787, including one for Miss Raikes on 8th April 1786 A remainder payment by Thomas Raikes, of £64 for "his portrait and his lady and child" was received on 29th January 1787. (Wards and Roberts, p. 129). Exhibited: Cambridge, Massachusetts: Fogg Art Museum, October 1932-September 1935. Dallas: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, January 1942-November 1949. (Lent by the Frick Collection, Pride's Crossing).