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George Willison (British, 1741-1797) Portrait of Catherine Maxwell image 1
George Willison (British, 1741-1797) Portrait of Catherine Maxwell image 2
George Willison (British, 1741-1797) Portrait of Catherine Maxwell image 3
Lot 2

George Willison
(British, 1741-1797)
Portrait of Catherine Maxwell

9 October 2024, 11:00 BST
Edinburgh

£4,000 - £6,000

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George Willison (British, 1741-1797)

Portrait of Catherine Maxwell
oil on canvas
125 x 99.5cm (49 3/16 x 39 3/16in).

Footnotes

Provenance
Private collection, UK.

Catherine Maxwell was daughter of Sir William Maxwell of Monreith, 3rd Bt., and Magdalene Blair. She married John Fordyce of Ayton on 28 January 1767 and together they had six children, two sons and four daughters. Following the marriage of Catherine's younger sister to the 4th Duke of Gordon, the Fordyces found themselves a central part of Scottish high society. John Fordyce went on to become the Receiver-General of Land Tax in Scotland.

Several traditional tunes, known as reels, were composed in Catherine Maxwell's honour, such as Mrs Fordyce of Ayton's Strathspey, Miss Catherine Maxwell's Scots Measure and Miss Catherine Maxwell's Minuet.
Catherine died in 1815.

Additional information