Probably commissioned by George III and given to his brother Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1743-1805);
By descent to the sitters' first cousin, HRH Prince Adolphus, 1^st Duke of Cambridge (1774-1850);
By descent to his son, HRH Prince George, 2^nd Duke of Cambridge (1819-1904);
By descent to his son, Colonel George William Adolphus FitzGeorge (1843-1907);
By descent to his grandson, General Sir Robert George Victor FitzGeorge-Balfour (1913-1994);
Thence by descent to the present owner.

London, Royal Academy, 1779, no. 343.

H. von Effra and A. Staley, The Paintings of Benjamin West, New Haven and London 1986, no. 578, p. 483.

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar, who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's. UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural condition The canvas is lined and is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher. This is providing a stable structural support. There are some undulations to the canvas, most notably to the upper part of the right vertical framing edge. There is a small tear to the canvas below the plinth of the statue of the dog in the lower left of the composition, and a further small damage to the canvas within the carpet below the figure of the girl. Paint surface The paint surface has a relatively even varnish layer. There is a pattern of vertical, slightly raised craquelure most notably within the upper half of the composition. There are also several areas of drying craquelure, most notably within the lower right of the girl's dress and within the statue of the dog. The craquelure appears stable. There are some very minor areas of fragile and lifting paint within the dark green pigments of the drapery close to the upper horizontal framing edge. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows some scattered retouchings, the most significant of which are: 1) retouchings running along the upper horizontal and right vertical framing edges, 2) scattered lines of inpainting within the statue of the dog, 3) a few lines of inpainting within the sky, just above and to the left of the church, 4) some lines of inpainting following lines of craquelure within the chest and flesh tones of the standing girl and to the face of the boy, and 5) an area of flourescence within the dark brown pigments in the lower right of the composition. Other small retouchings are also visible.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This delightful composition is one of a group of portraits of members of the Royal Family painted by West between 1777 and 1784. It shows Princess Sophia and Prince William, the eldest children of William Duke of Gloucester. The Duke had fallen out of favour with his brother George III on account of his secret marriage with Maria Waldegrave, a commoner, and he had been forced to leave the country in July 1775 when Sophia was only two years old. William was born in Rome in January 1776 at the Palazzo Theodoli. Ill health compelled the Duke to return to England in October 1777 and this helped to repair the breach with the King. This portrait is a potent demonstration of their reconciliation.

When West was in Venice in 1762 he met Richard Dalton, George III’s librarian and an important dealer and antiquarian, who suggested that he should paint a small composition for the King. Cymon and Iphigenia and Angelica and Medoro were painted for 𓆉the King and were well received, and West was encouraged to come to London to obtain more commissions. The King had favoured Zoffany as a portrait painter but his absence in Italy between 1772 and 1779 gave West an opportunity and in 1777 he painted Queen Charlotte with the Princess Royal which was to be the first of a distinguished group of royal portraits and which was a particular favourite of the King. The pres꧂ent portrait was almost certainly commissioned by his royal patron George III as a token of his reconciliation with his brother and their family.

One consequence of the Duke’s illness was that he became very concerned about the future of his two children. Parliament had just confirmed allowances for the two children in the event of his death and this must have helped heal the rift. West’s imagery appears to underline this. Sophia is depicted pointing to a relief of the British lion which can be seen as a protector of the children, and the statue of Romulus and Remus emphasises the importance of the proper care of orphans. The young prince holds a purse, perhaps to underline the provision just approved by Parliament, and Westminster Abbey in the background further emphasises this. The Garter robes and crown to the right would have belonged to their father who was so concerned about their welfare. It is interesting that the pose of the wolf is based on the Dog of Alcibiades, a Roman sculpture owned by the sculptor Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and acquired from him by Henry Jennings who bought it back to England. Jennings was forced to sell it at a sale in London on 4^th April 1778 and West must have seen it then. The presence of the lion in the picture provides a fascinating link with an untraced portrait of the Princess Sophia by Batoni painted in 1776 where she was apparently depicted throwing a yoke on a lion. According to Father Thorpe this was designed to show her lack of fear. As he wrote to Lord Arundell on 11^th May 1776 – “It was first observed in Venice where I am assured that she went up to a living lion and patted the beast and showed herself to be more pleased with him than if he had been a lapdog. She has done the like in other places and at Rome diverts herself with the old marble lions that stood in the Portica of Villa Medici…”¹ The Princess may perhaps have encouraged the artist to include the🥀 image of the lion in this picture.

Princ🌞ess Sophia lived at New Lodge in Winkfield, Windsor, and was Ranger of Windsor Great Park. She never married. Her brother William succeeded to the title in 1805 and married his cousin Princess Mary in 1816. He was president of the African Institution and a strong advocate ဣof the abolition of slavery. When he died without issue the picture passed to his cousin Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and has remained in the possession of his descendants.

1. Quoted in A. Clark, Pompeo Batoni, edited by E. P. Bowron, Oxford 1985, p. 324.