Lot 85
Lot 85
Lot Details
Property from the Estate of the late Hon. Thomas Noel
Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller
Portrait of Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough (1708–1751), half-length, when a boy, wearing a blue jacket and white cravat
inscribed lower left: Baptist Noel / 4th Earl of Gainsborough / born 1708 died 1751
oil on canvas
unframed: 76.5 x 63.8 cm.; 30⅛ x 25⅛ in.
framed: 92.5 x 80 cm.; 36⅜ x 31½ in.
Condition Report
The canvas is lined and the paint surface is stable. The entire surface is covered in a thin layer of slightly yellow and dirty varnish. There is a small black dirt spot on the sitter's right eye. There is some evidence of small areas of repainting in the face, costume and background. There are some minor surface scratches on the blue jacket. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a thick layer of old varnish, and some very small scattered retouchings throughout. Overall the work is in good condition and would benefit from professional conservation.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.
Provenance
By descent from the sitter to Anthony Gerard Edward Noel, 5th Earl of Gainsborough (1923–2009);
By inheritance to his third son.
Catalogue Note
This portrait depicts Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough (1708–1751), one of the most significant Earls of Gainsborough during the eighteenth century. After his education at Eton and St John's College Cambridge, his formal responsibilities included Warden & Chief Ranger of Lyfield Forest, Rutland, and High Steward of Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, the ancestral manor the Noel family inherited through marriage in 1629. In 1728 the Earl married Elizabeth Chapman (1707–1771), the daughter of his gamekeeper, a match which would have been considered atypical for an aristocrat of the eighteenth century.
Alongside his eccentricities, the Earl was a noted patron of the arts. Most famously, Baptist hosted a visit from the famous composer George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) at Exton Hall, Rutland, in 1745. In 1748 a special performance of Handel's Comus was staged in the grounds of Exton.1 It appears that Gainsborough performed in this production, alongside other family members in what was perceived as an imitation of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London. Records also show that busts of Handel, Isaac Newton and Alexander Pope were commissioned from the sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac (1702–1762) during this period. On the Earl's death in 1751, his chaplain John Skynner remarked in his funeral sermon:
'His skill in musick, painting and poetry; his knowledge in the principal arts and embellishments of elegant life... rendered him at all times capable of furnishing out a refined entertainment both for himself, and others, of the same improved and cultivated taste.'2
The Earl also commissioned a set of full-length posthumous portraits of his ancestors by J. Henesy also included in this sale (see lot 87).
1 C. Timms, 'Lord Gainsborough buys a bust of Handel from Roubiliac', in Händel-Jahrbuch, vol. 67, 2021, pp. 59–67.
2 J. Skynner, A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of Baptist Earl of Gainsborough 1751, London 1751, pp. 11–12.
Additional Notices & Disclaimers
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.