John Westbrooke Chandler
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This
charming portrait is a statement piece for any space. The two elegantly
handsome sitters are brother and sister and are accompanied by their
loyal dog. With 18th and 19th century British portraiture, it's the
sitters' attractiveness that makes a painting desirable and drives
price. There are lively brush strokes with impasto in the trees The
nameplate identifies the sitters as Robert & Marianne
Lawrence-Townsend - The Family of Lawrence-Townsend were originally
descendants of the Lawrence Family of Wiltshire who inherited the name
Townsend along with an estate, Steanbridge House near Stroud in
Gloucestershire. Robert would appear to be the son born in 1797,
educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, former Captain in the
British Army and who became a Magistrate for Gloucester. Condition is
good with some old repairs. painting beckons with vibrancy. Presents
very well and is best viewed with a top key light. Private collection
and perhaps Phillips Auctioneers New York 1995 per letter. Framed Size
66 x 43.5 x 4
W.R. Peddigrew, Western Cardiff, South Wales
Provenance: The Estate of Mrs. Eleanor Goddard Daniels, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, June 1981
The uploaded video on 1stDibs is coming up a bit off color. Refer to the still images for more accurate color
Originally
this work was attributed to Sir William Beechey but recent scholarship
in 2025 by Art Historian Adam Busiakiewicz has determined that it was
painted by British Painter John Westbrooke Chandler 1763 - 1807.
"Most
curiously of all, this painting is a surviving fragment from a much
larger and ambitious group portrait that was sold at auction in 1923.
The work was then sold again in 1924 having been cut down into this
singular full-length format. One supposes the canny dealer who bought it
in 1923 wanted to save the best part of this picture. The particularly
intense and slightly haunting expressions found on the faces of these
two children lends some sympathy for this approach. Where has the other
half gone? "
Overall good condition commensurate with age. Colors are bright
saturated, and in person the painting beckons with vibrancy. UV light we
see inpainting on girls chest, lower right hand corner and some
additional scattered inpainting, Patch on verso.