George Romney (British, 1734-1802), Portrait of an Unknown Man, Previously Called "Richard Cumberland, Esq."

Lot 203

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About Auction

Live

Fine Art: Now & Then

By Bonhams Skinner

Mar 17, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-03-17 10:00:00 2022-03-17 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Fine Art: Now & Then https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/skinner/fine-art-now-then-9023 A live auction in two sessions. Session one begins at 10:00 am on March 17th and features Modern & Contemporary Art. Session 2 follows immediately after session 1 with European Art. Bonhams Skinner bidsquare@bonhamsskinner.com

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Lot Description

George Romney (British, 1734-1802)

Portrait of an Unknown Man, Previously Called "Richard Cumberland, Esq."
Unsigned, artist identified on a presentation plaque, sitter misidentified on a printed label affixed to the stretcher.
Oil on canvas, 30 3/4 x 25 1/2 in. (78.0 x 64.8 cm), framed.
Condition: Lined, retouch primarily to the background with minor dots to the face, fine craquelure.

Provenance: ...; W.B. Patterson; to Agnew, November 1905; to Galerie Heinemann, Munich;...Ehrich;...G. Collijn; Christie's December 22, 1927 (124) unsold; Christie's June 8, 1928 (83); to Buttery; bought from the above by John Levy; through to the current private collection.

Literature: Alex Kidson, George Romney: a complete catalogue of his paintings (New Haven: Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art by Yale University Press, 2015), cat. no. 1562, p. 717 (illustrated in black and white).

N.B. The portrait at hand likely dates to the early 1770s and has been known in recent years only via photographs. It is listed as "untraced" in the Romney catalogue raisonné. Unfortunately, the consignor's family has no information on the circumstances of its acquisition or its prior history. The portrait is presumed to have once been in a museum collection or perhaps placed on loan, based on the red accession number on the frame. The sitter is misidentified on what may be an old auction label on the stretcher. Current scholarship has confirmed it is definitely not Richard Cumberland, who was friendly with the artist and whom Romney painted on several occasions.

We would like to thank Alex Kidson for his kind assistance cataloging this lot.

Condition

Condition: Framed dimensions are 39 x 34 x 3 ¼ inches.

Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
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