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Portrait of a woman (formerly thought to be Mrs Gainsborough)

Maker

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1727-1788

Title

Date of Production

1770 - 1780

Medium

black chalk on grey (faded blue?) laid paper, laid down, with added paper border support, the upper corners made up

Dimensions

Height: 32.9 cm
Width: 20.7 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.3911

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Notes

J. Hayes (1970) listed this work under 'Other Drawings Attributed to Gainsborough', which identified drawings that he did not believe to be by the artist.

Provenance

James Hughes Anderdon, London (1790-1879); Henry Joseph Pfungst, London (1844-1917); his estate sale at Christie's (London), 15 June 1917, lot 34; purchased there by Sir George Donaldson, London (1845-1925); Henry Schniewind Junior; his sale,* Sotheby's (London), 25 May 1938, lot 136; purchased there by Adams; Dr Carl Robert Rudolf, London (1884-1974); acquired from him (in exchange) by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, n.d.; Witt Bequest 1952 *Schniewind is not identified in the Sotheby's catalogue but according to Hayes 1970 this was his sale.

Exhibition History

An exhibition of drawings by Thomas Gainsborough, Sand Hill, Aldeburgh, 1949

Exhibition of paintings and drawings by Thomas Gainsborough, R. A., Cincinnati Art Museum, 01/05/1931-31/05/1931

Literature

Hayes, John, The Drawings of Thomas Gainsborough, London 1970
p. 324

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 22

Siple, E.S., 'Gainsborough Drawings: The Schniewind Collection' in 'The Connoisseur', June 1934
p. 355
ill. on p. 356 ...More

Exhibition of paintings and drawings by Thomas Gainsborough, R. A., Cincinnati Art Museum, 1931 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: Recto, centre: "L" (no match found in Heawood).

Inscription: Verso (hidden under backing sheet, visible via transmitted light): lower centre edge, brown ink, cut off: "Purchased after Stall [?] / R[...]".

Collector's mark: Border support, Recto: lower left corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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