By descent to Charles W.W. Dawes;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 16 June 1900, lot 88, for 450 Guineas, to Dowdeswell;
Wallis;
With Thos. Agnew, London;
Fischoff;
L. Hamilton McCormick, by 1906;
His sale, London, Christies, 1 December 1922, lot 107;
There acquired by Lady Bullough for 150 Guineas;
Thence by descent to her daughter Hermione, Countess of Durham;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 22 November 1974, lot 79 (to "Drew" according to the price list, but apparently unsold);
By whom again sold, London, Christie's, 21 November 1975, lot 76.

London, Royal Academy, Old Masters, 1906, no. 29.

H. Ward and W. Roberts, Romney, London 1904, vol. II, p. 42;
A. Kidson, George Romney, A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, New Haven and London 2015, vol. I. p. 177, cat. no. 350, reproduced.

Canvas appears to be relined and is stable on its stretcher. The painting is slightly dirty, but it reads well beneath an older varnish. Some areas of the painting appear thinned, but overall the painting retains many areas of good detail, particularly in the colored parts of her costume. There are two thin and stable cracks in the sitter's face, one above her mouth and one above her brow (as visible in the catalogue), but these do not distract from the overall impression. There is a small area of faint inconsistency or abrasion just to the left of the sitter's face in the background, and some old scattered retouching to the background that is visible to the naked eye, for example a thin line in the upper left quadrant. Inspection under UV reveals a varnish that fluoresces inconsistently in areas, such as in the lower left and upper fight corners. There are some scattered spots of retouching to the background and extreme edges, for example a spot above her head and at the upper edge, right of center. A possible old and small repair is faintly visible in the left background, just to the right of the jug. There are a few scattered and finely applied strokes of inpainting visible in the darks beneath the sitter's left hand in her hair. Offered in an elaborately carved giltwood frame with some scattered nicks and losses.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The sitter (died 1796) was the wife of John Dawes of Islington (1724-1788), a London stockbroker and property developer. This portrait descended in the family together with a pendant portrait of Mr. Dawes until the sale of 1900 (see Provenance), in which the portraits were sold as separate lots and purchased by different buyers.¹  Kidson (see Literature) dates this portrait to the late 1760s and notes the virtuosic painting of the lace.

 

1.  The pendant portrait of John Dawes is now in Fund❀ación Láza𒀰ro Galdiano, Madrid; see A. Kidson under Literature, cat. no. 348, reproduced.