THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH R.A. (SUDBURY 1727-1788 LONDON)
Portrait of John Campbell, Viscount Glenorchy (1738-1771), three-quarter-length, in a green jacket with gilt embroidery
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GBP 50,000 - GBP 80,000
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
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THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH R.A. (SUDBURY 1727-1788 LONDON)
Portrait of John Campbell, Viscount Glenorchy (1738-1771), three-quarter-length, in a green jacket with gilt embroidery
This sophisticated portrait depicts John Campbell, Viscount Glenorchy, second and only surviving son of John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1696-1782), resplendent in a green coat edged in gold lace, a style inspired by sporting outfits of the day. Sadly, he narrowly predeceased his father and both the title and the portrait were inherited by his third cousin. Surprisingly, having always been a sickly gentleman, it is traditionally said that he died not of ill health but a duel.
The inscription on the portrait suggests that it was executed in 1762, a dating that is supported by entries in the popular Boddley's Bath Journal, that place Glenorchy in Bath in April and September of that year, when he could have sat to Gainsborough. Unusually, the pendant to the present portrait, depicting the sitter's wife Willielma, daughter and co-heir of William Maxwell and a patroness of evangelical missionary work in Scotland, was not executed by Gainsborough (though he did paint a bust-length portrait of her in circa 1765), but by Katherine Read.
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Portrait of John Campbell, Viscount Glenorchy (1738-1771), three-quarter-length, in a green jacket with gilt embroideryTHOMAS GAINSBOROUGH R.A. (SUDBURY 1727-1788 LONDON)Estimate: GBP 50,000 - 80,000
You have agreed to be bound by the Conditions of Sale and if your bid is successful, you are legally obliged to pay for the lot you have won. The purchase price for a successful bid will be the sum of your final bid plus a buyer’s premium, any applicable taxes and any artist resale royalty, exclusive of shipping-related expenses.
Condition report
A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.
The condition of lots can vary widely and the nature of the lots sold means that they are unlikely to be in a perfect condition. Lots are sold in the condition they are in at the time of sale.
This portraits presents very well in natural light, with the bravura execution of the costume and the vivacity of colour well preserved. The canvas has been subject to relining; it is held under tension and remains stable. There has been some slight thinning to the paint as a result of this process. In a raking light some scattered retouching in the background to the right of the sitter can be seen. There appears to have been some minor retouching to the sitter's face. Examination under UV light confimrs these observations. There is some more extensive retouching in the background to the right of the sitter. There has been some retouching to the sitter's collar and the bow in his hair. There is some further scattered retouching to his coat. There is a small repaired vertical tear of 5 cm. to the upper centre. There is a slightly patchy varnish that hinders a more in depth examination of the composition. The paint remains stable.
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Lot 212Sale 20554
Portrait of John Campbell, Viscount Glenorchy (1738-1771), three-quarter-length, in a green jacket with gilt embroideryTHOMAS GAINSBOROUGH R.A. (SUDBURY 1727-1788 LONDON)Estimate: GBP 50,000 - 80,000
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