We are delighted to be offering for sale one of the earliest known works by the artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788) in The Fine Sale on 23rd March.
Lot 103, Thomas Gainsborough, RA (British, 1727 - 1788) Portrait said to be of a member of the Seton family available at The Fine Sale
Believed to have been painted in 1743, the portrait depicts a member of the Seton family and would have been completed whilst the artist was lodging in Hatton Garden following his move from Suffolk to London, at the age of approximately 16 years old. In his authoritative catalogue, Thomas Gainsborough: The Portraits, Fancy Pictures and Copies after Old Masters, Hugh Belsey lists only two earlier portraits, the first a miniature portrait of a young girl and the second a self-portrait believed to have been painted by Gainsborough in his early teens and sold in Cheffins’ salerooms in 2021 for £90,000 (hammer price).
Thomas Gainsborough, RA (British, 1727 - 1788), self-portrait, sold at Cheffins in 2021 for £90,000
The portrait was purchased by the current owner in 2016 having been previously attributed to the circle of the artist Charles Phillips and then more recently as Circle of Arthur Devis. Following extensive research, the work has subsequently been identified as being by the young Gainsborough and since included in the 2019 publication of Belsey’s catalogue raisonné, as Portrait of a Young Woman in a Green Dress. Further recent research has revealed the true identity of the sitter as being that of Miss Seton.
This latest and exciting discovery represents a further glimpse into Gainsborough’s early career helping us to fully appreciate his extraordinary ability from an early age.
It carries an estimate of £30,000 - £50,000. To view the painting in the catalogue, please click here.