Paintings - 16th March 2016
Lot 243
Circle of Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A. Portrait of Elizabeth Gunning
Estimate £3,000 - £5,000 | Hammer £2800
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Description
Circle of Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A.
Portrait of Elizabeth Gunning, Duchess of Hamilton and Argyll (1733-1790), the celebrated Irish Belle, wearing a green dress and resting her elbow on a book
Oil on canvas, circular
78.5cm; 31in diameter
Elizabeth Gunning was the daughter of John Gunning of Castle Coote, Roscommon, Ireland and was a celebrated beauty. Reynolds painted three very similar portraits in this format:
Mrs. Richard Cumberland -- 1763
Mary Bertie, Duchess of Ancaster - 1757-59
Mrs. Wood -- 1757
Provenance:
The Collection of Charles Brinsley Marlay (1831-1912) [notable collector and major benefactor to the Fitzwilliam Museum], Belvedere House, West Meath, Ireland and by inheritance to
Lt. Col. Charles Howard Bury (1881-1963) [Explorer], Belvedere House and by inheritance to
Rex Beaumont: His sale 'Removed from Belvedere House, Ireland': Christie's, London, Importrant Pictures by Old Masters, 4th December 1964, Lot 59
The Collection of Douglas Wing, Iden, Rye, Sussex
The Collection of Drs. Isobel and Salim Dalali, Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Private English Collection