OLD MASTERS, BRITISH & EUROPEAN PAINTINGS

2nd September 2020

HANNAH VERNON +44 (0) 1722 446970 hv@woolleyandwallis.co.uk

Now accepting consignments for the September sale. Closing date for entries 10th July.

OPPOSITE. Nicolas de Largillière (French 1656-1746) Portrait of Monsieur Aubert, General Director of the Bridges and Roads of France, three-quarter-length, by a writing table Inscribed A Monsieur/M*nsi*** Aubert/Controlle* général des Ponts/ Chaussée de france Oil on canvas laid on panel 134.5 x 103cm; 53 x 40½in. Provenance: Arnold S. Kirkeby (1901-1962); By whom given to Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1955; By whom sold, Sotheby’s, New York, 10 January 1991, lot 82; Edmund de Rothschild (1916-2009). Estimate: £12,000 – 18,000

1. Thomas Sidney Cooper RA (1803-1902) Sheep in a winter landscape Signed and dated 1861 Oil on canvas 77 x 107 cm; 30¼ x 42¼in. Provenance: Private Collection. Estimate: £12,000 – 18,000

2. George Gower (c.1540-1596) Portrait of Thomas Arundell, later 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour (c.1560-1639) Inscribed ANº DNI 1580 / atatis sua .20 (upper left above the centaur), Non spirat Qui non afpirat (centre left) and charged upper right with the sitter’s coat of arms Oil on panel 60.6 x 50.9cm; 23¾ x 20in. Provenance: Possibly Cyril Flower, 1st Baron Battersea (1843-1907); Constance de Rothschild, Lady Battersea (1843-1931); Lionel de Rothschild (1882-1942); Edmund de Rothschild (1916-2009). Estimate: £10,000 – 15,000

3. George Adolphus Storey RA (1834-1919) Mistress Dorothy Oil on canvas, 1873 112.5 x 87cm; 44¼ x 34¼in. Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist by Alfred de Rothschild (1842-1918) for 300gns, 1873; Lionel de Rothschild (1882-1942); Edmund de Rothschild (1916-2009). Estimate: £2,000 – 3,000

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At the heart of the September sale will be a group of paintings from Exbury House, three portraits from which reflect both the quality and diversity of that collection. George Gower’s portrait of Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour (fig. 2), is a fine example of late 16th Century English painting. Gower became Serjeant Painter to Queen Elizabeth I in 1581, and was the pre-eminent artist at her court for much of her reign. Thomas Arundell was an ardent Roman Catholic who was imprisoned twice by the Queen. However, he also proved his loyalty to the crown during the Spanish Armada, and was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Rudolf II.

Nicolas de Largillière was one of Europe’s premier portraitists. Having trained in Antwerp and London, he settled in Paris in 1679 and quickly found favour with his baroque portraiture in the tradition of Rubens and van Dyck. The depiction of Monsieur Aubert, General Director of the Bridges and Roads of France (opposite) dates from c. 1725-1730, and demonstrates Largillière’s technical virtuosity, love of sumptuous drapery, and mastery of colour. Alfred de Rothschild was once described as ‘the finest amateur judge of French eighteenth-century art in England’, however, he also collected contemporary painting. He first heard about George Adolphus Storey’s Mistress Dorothy (fig. 3) whilst dining with Sir Francis Grant, the president of the Royal Academy. Grant spoke so highly of the work that de Rothschild sought out and purchased the painting the next day. On a later occasion, when discussing the work with Storey, de Rothschild said ‘I like her to keep me company’.

Amongst the highlights from other properties, is a large winter landscape by Thomas Sidney Cooper. Cooper was one of the foremost animal painters of the Victorian period, and sheep and cattle were his most frequent subjects. This large example (fig. 1), which comes from a private collection, typifies his mastery of the genre. The 1860s, when this work was painted, saw Cooper at the height of his powers, and his winter landscapes remain perennially popular with collectors.

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