Bonhams 1793 : Circle of George Romney (Beckside 1734-1802 Kendal) A portrait of Anne, Marchioness Townshend, half-length 30 x 25in

PROVENANCE:
possibly Sale, Christie's 20 February 1920, lot 83;
bt. Thomas Agnew & Sons;
with Duveen, by 1930;
bt. Norton Simon, Inc., Museum of Art, Pasadena, California.

EXHIBITION:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California.

The full length portrait is in a U.K. collection.

We are grateful to Alex Kidson who suggests that since the full length portrait of Marchioness Townshend remained in London, in Romney's painting room and then in the care of his frame-maker and agent William Saunders, for about six years from the time it was completed in 1794 until it was finally paid for and sent home in 1800, that it is possibly during this time when copies would have been made. As several reduced-size versions are known to exist it suggests that it was a favored picture for copying. Romney himself is not recorded as being commissioned to make any replicas; he did not make preparatory studies for his portraits in oil; and he did not have a 'studio' of assistants in the accepted sense; but he did look kindly on requests from younger artists to allow certain of his works to be copied.