Live Auction 7863Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings & Watercolours Day
Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A. (Plympton, Devon 1723-1792 London)
Lot 164

Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A. (Plympton, Devon 1723-1792 London)

Portrait of Mrs Collyear, half-length, in a pink dress, with a rose and a green sash

Closed7 July 2010

Price Realised

GBP 73,250

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A. (Plympton, Devon 1723-1792 London)
Portrait of Mrs Collyear, half-length, in a pink dress, with a rose and a green sash
oil on canvas
30 3/8 x 25 3/8 in. (77.2 x 64.4 cm.)

Mrs Gwynne, by 1823.
Sir William Knighton, Bt., by 1864.
Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, and by descent to
The Hon. Arthur Ernest Guinness; (+) Christie's, London, 10 July 1953, lot 70 (2,100 gns. to Haward, presumably for a member of the family), and by descent.

Specialist note

Miss Gwynn married Captain (later Admiral Sir George) Collyear. The picture has long been associated with literary sources; the sitter has been described as being in the roles of 'Caelia' (Malone), 'Chloe' (the Houston engraving), and 'Lesbia' (Sir Henry Bunbury in a letter, c.1853). Several copies are known, which show a dead sparrow in the lower left of the composition (although Bunbury described the sparrow as being fed).