Doyne C. Bell, secretary to H.M. Privy Purse, Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, by 1876;
His posthumous sale, London, Christie's, 5 February 1889, lot 154, for £6.16s.6d., to Colnaghi;
William Cleverly Alexander (1840-1916), Aubrey House, London, by 1906;
Thence by family descent.

London, Royal Academy, Winter Exhibition, 1876, no. 5;
London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Spring Exhibition. Illustrating Georgian England, 1906, no. 69.

E. Mead Johnson, Francis Cotes. Complete edition, London 1976, p. 79, cat. no. 185.

The painting appears to be in very good condition, with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint. The picture has an old relining which remains sound. The paint surface is a little flat but there remains some impasto in the highlights, particularly in the white of the neck tie and in the buttons. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals an old discoloured varnish overall and no signs of recent retouching or restoration. There is a very small amount of very minor old retouching to frame abrasion along the lower edge of the canvas, which hardly fluoresces under UV, but otherwise the paint surface appears to be untouched. Held in a carved gilt wood frame in fair condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Henry Cope was known as 'The Green Man of Brighton.' His choice of coat in this portrait reflects his sartorial predilection for dressing entirely in green, an obsession that extended to his diet and his furnishings, as described in The Globe, 8 October 1806: 'He ate nothing but greens, fruit and vegetables; had his rooms painted green, furnished with green sofa, chairs, tables, bed and curtains. His gig, livery, portmanteau, gloves and whip were all green.'¹ The ring he holds here perhaps suggests that the painting was intended to commemorate the sitter's marriage, though no record of this exists. Mead Johnson dates the painting to between 1765 and 1770, due to the manner of Cope's hairstyle, popular in the late 1760s, and the stylistic similarity of the execution to Cotes' refined, smoothly painted portraits of these years. Cope's family owned Bramshill, a Jacobean mansion in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, now the National Police Library. It is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in England, with the ghost of 'The Green Man' resident among its other phantoms.

1. See J.P. Cope, Bramshill. The Memoirs of Joan Penelope Cope, Bungay 1938, p. 17.