David des Granges, A Lady, 1656

Charles William Dyson Perrins (1864–1958), Malvern, Worcestshire, England, by 1957;

Sold at his posthumous sale, Important English Portrait Miniatures, Sotheby’s, London, December 11, 1958, lot 16, as A Lady, by Leggatt Brothers, London, probably on behalf of Mr. John W. (1905–2000) and Mrs. Martha Jane (1906–2011) Starr, Kansas City, MO, 1958–1982 [1];

Sold at their sale, Silhouettes and Fine Portrait Miniatures, Sotheby’s, London, March 15, 1982, lot 64, as A Lady [2];

Sold, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Drawings and Watercolours and Portrait Miniatures, Sotheby’s, London, April 9, 1992, lot 132 [3];

Esmé Valerie Eliot (1926–2012), London, by 2012;

Sold at her posthumous sale, A Life’s Devotion: The Collection of the Late Mrs. T. S. Eliot, Christie’s, London, November 20, 2013, lot 179, as A Young Lady [4];

Current location unknown.

Notes

[1] “A miniature of a lady by David Des Granges, signed and dated 1656, head and shoulders three-quarters sinister, gaze directed at spectator, her black hair in ringlets, dressed in pearls, and wearing pearl earrings and necklace, in low-cut blue dress, in very good state of preservation, 2 1/2 in. This miniature, which is an unusually good example of the work of David Des Granges, is in better condition than most of his work, and is noted by Basil Long, British Miniaturists, p. 124.” According to the annotated auction catalogue, Leggatt bought lot 16 for £105. Archival research has shown that Leggatt Brothers served as purchasing agents for the Starrs. See correspondence between Betty Hogg and Martha Jane Starr, May 15 and June 3, 1950, Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.

[2] “A lady, her dark hair arranged in curls and adorned with a small pearl cap, wearing pearl earrings and necklace and a blue dress over a white chemise, within a gold-painted border, painted on vellum and mounted within a gold frame, oval 2 7/16 in.; 7.2 cm.” The annotated catalogue lists “3000” below the lot description.

[3] “Signed with initials and dated 1655; with coiled dark hair adorned with a pearl-laced cap, wearing a low cut cerulean blue dress with a white chemise, pearl earrings and necklace, buff background with painted gold border, gold frame, oval 6cm., 2 3/8 in.”

[4] “A young lady, in low-cut cerulean blue dress, pearl necklace and drop-pearl earrings, pearl-laced cap in her upswept curling brown hair; buff background with painted gold border, signed in gold with initials and dated ‘D.G./1656’ (lower right), on vellum, oval, 2 3/8 in. (60 mm.) high, gilt-metal frame.” Lot 179 sold for 10,625 pounds.

Important English Portrait Miniatures (London: Sotheby’s, December 11, 1958), 7, as A Lady.

Silhouettes and Fine Portrait Miniatures (London: Sotheby’s, March 15, 1982), 18, as A Lady.

Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Drawings and Watercolours and Portrait Miniatures (London: Sotheby’s, April 9, 1992), 130, as Portrait of a Lady.

A Life’s Devotion: The Collection of the Late Mrs. T. S. Eliot (London: Christie’s, November 20, 2013), 144, as A Young Lady.