Artist's Biography
See the artist’s biography in volume 4.
Provenance
Unknown owner, by July 31, 1952 [1];
Probably purchased from their sale, Catalogue of Old English Silver, Fine Portrait Miniatures, Objects of Vertu, Watches and Fine Gold Boxes, Etc., Sotheby’s, London, July 31, 1952, lot 98, 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, 1952–1982 [2];
Sold at their sale, Silhouettes and Fine Portrait Miniatures, Sotheby’s, London, March 15, 1982, lot 81, as A Young Lady [3];
Current location unknown.
Notes
[1] According to the sales catalogue, lots 90–99 were sold by “Various Properties.”
[2] “An attractive miniature of a lady, by John Smart, signed and dated 1784, head and shoulders, three-quarters dexter, the gaze directed at the spectator, her auburn hair powdered, wearing décolleté yellow dress with lace collar, oval, 2 in.” Leggatt bought lot 98 for 125 pounds. 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.
[3] “A young lady, her powdered hair dressed à la conseilleur and wearing a white lace cap trimmed with matching ribbons and peach-coloured dress, the bodice adorned with blue and yellow ribbons and a frilled white fichu: From the French ficher (“to fix”), a fichu is a large triangular or square lace or muslin kerchief worn by women to fill in the low neckline of a bodice., silver-gilt frame, oval 2 1/16 in.; 5.2 cm.” The annotated catalogue has a circled lot number and lists “1800” below the lot description.
References
Catalogue of Old English Silver, Fine Portrait Miniatures, Objects of Vertu, Watches and Fine Gold Boxes, Etc. (London: Sotheby’s, July 31, 1952), 11, as A Lady.
Silhouettes and Fine Portrait Miniatures (London: Sotheby’s, March 15, 1982), 22, as A Young Lady.
No known exhibitions at this time. If you have additional information on this object, please tell us more.