RICHARD CROSSE
(1742-1810)CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH ZINCKE
(c.1683-1767)A set of portraits of the Cartwright family, clockwise from the top of the frame: Mary Catherine Cartwright (1747-1814), circa 1760s; a gentleman traditionally called Major General Thomas Desaguliers (1721-1780), circa 1770; a lady called Byzantia Cartwright (nee Lane)(d.1738), circa 1710s; and Thomas Cartwright (1735-1772), circa 1765.
Watercolour on ivory Enamel on copper
£8,500
Dates of birth and death of the sitters also explain the fact that the miniatures come from two different artists. Byzantia Lane (d.1738) has been depicted by Zincke, a miniature painter from the generation before Richard Crosse, the artist responsible for the portraits of the rest of the family. Because Crosse had only been born in 1742, it would have been impossible for him to have painted the miniature of Byzantia from life.
Confirmation of the identities of the sitter comes from both labels on the backs of the portraits, and comparisons with other portraits. At Aynhoe, the ancestral home of the Cartwright Family, there are both portraits of Byzantia (attributed to Van de Bank) and Thomas Cartwright (by Thomas Hudson). Furthermore, Crosse painted another portrait of Thomas in 1765, where he wears a white and blue coat, instead of the purple he wears here[1]. There are no other existing portraits of Thomas Desaguliers or Mary Catherine Cartwright. Another almost identical portrait to the one here of Desaguliers was sold by Philip Mould & Company, and is given an alternative identity. Comparisons to other portraits of William Thomas, the sitter of this other miniature, do show similar features, however it is also unclear where the other evidence for this identification came from. It is very possible that Crosse was painting the two at a similar time, or that one has since had a mistaken identity.
Interestingly, two out of three of the portraits by Crosse shown here are painted on enamel. This is not unknown, but is quite unusual for the artist. He had been made painter in enamel to the King during his career; however, many of his surviving works are painted, as with the portrait of Thomas Desaguliers, on ivory. Another fine example of his work on enamel can be found at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter[2]. This was a particularly difficult medium to master, and one that the second artist here, Zincke, was known for being particularly skilled in.
[1] Sold Bonhams, 11 February 1999, lot 96.
[2] Accession number 89/1962
shipping notice
Worldwide shipping is included in all prices.
The Limner Company does not accept any responsibility for import duty, this is to be paid by the buyer.
Some stock items contain materials from endangered species which are governed by CITES regulations and will require a permit to export outside of Great Britain. If a certificate of export is required then this will be the responsibility of and paid for by the buyer .
you may also like