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Live
Venue address
Dreweatts
Donnington Priory
Newbury, Berkshire
RG14 2JE
United Kingdom
Town & Country: Baroness Rawlings, Eaton Square and Adlington Hall, Cheshire
This is a live online auction with auctioneer. For details on registration, bidding, viewing & condition reports, click “Important information” link.
Baroness Rawlings, Eaton Square: Lots 1-160: Introduction by Nicky Haslam... read more!
Adlington Hall, Cheshire: Lots 171-334: The Historic Collection dating back over 700 years... read more!
Viewing in London (highlights): Dreweatts London, 16-17 Pall Mall, St James’s, London SW1Y 5LU
07 Jan 2025: 10:00 - 16:00
08 Jan 2025: 10:00 - 16:00
09 Jan 2025: 10:00 - 16:00
10 Jan 2025: 10:00 - 16:00
Viewing in Newbury (full sale): see below
Auction dates
22 Jan 2025 10:30 GMT
Viewing dates
19 Jan 2025 10:00 - 15:00 GMT
20 Jan 2025 10:00 - 16:00 GMT
21 Jan 2025 10:00 - 16:00 GMT
22 Jan 2025 09:00 - 13:00 GMT
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Featured lots
We found 59 items matching your search
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λ ANGEL PONCE DE LEON (SPANISH B. 1925)
PERAS NEGRAS
Oil on canvas
Signed (lower right)
81 x 130cm (31¾ x 51 in.)
Angel Ponce De Leon was a Spanish artist who studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Madrid. He travelled around South America visiting Rio de Janeiro, Qutio, and Buenos Aires, but relocated to the south of France in the early 1950s. Here he met and collaborated with the noted painter Georges Braque - who was an important exponent of Fauvism and a developer of Cubism. Ponce De Leon was also influenced by the French Abstract and Cubist painter Auguste Herbin, and consequently, moved his art practice towards a type of abstraction.
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λ ANGEL PONCE DE LEON (SPANISH B. 1925)
NATURE MORTE
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated 60 (lower centre); further signed, titled and dated Villpancha 60 (verso)
81 x 130cm (31¾ x 51 in.)
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1
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7,000 - 10,000 GBP
LODEWIJK FREDERIK HENDRIK (LOUIS) APOL (DUTCH 1850-1936)
CHURCH IN A WINTER LANDSCAPE
Oil on canvas
Signed (lower left)
70 x 92cm (27½ x 36 in.)
Apol specialised in painting snowy winter landscapes and his picture Winter in the Forest received much acclaim when it was exhibited in the Hague in 1875 and was subsequently bought by the State. He was taught by J.F. Hoppenbrouwers and P.F. Stortenbeker and in 1868, at the age of 18, he received a scholarship from the Dutch King, Willem III. In 1880 Apol took part in an expedition on the SS Willem Barents to Spitsbergen <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitsbergen> in the Arctic Ocean. The impressions of this journey were a source of inspiration during his whole life. His work is in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Kunstmuseum in the Hague.
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ALFRED WHEELER (BRITISH 1851 - 1932)
PORTRAIT OF THE RACEHORSE 'LADAS' WITH JOCKEY UP
Oil on canvas
Signed and inscribed (lower right)
35.5 x 46cm (13¾ x 18 in.)
Seen here in profile is the racehorse Ladas (inscribed bottom right) painted by Alfred Wheeler. Ladas was a successful British racehorse owned by Archibald Philip Primrose, 5 th Earl of Rosebery. Lord Primrose - who served as Prime Minister between 1894-1895 - had an enthusiasm for horseracing, and in 1868, registered his silk colours as a hooped primrose and rose shirt set with a rose cap. Here you can see this depicted on the jockey, most likely Mr J. Watt. Ladas raced a total of eleven times and won seven, including: The 2000 Guineas Race at Newmarket and the famous Derby at Epsom.
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JOHANNES ROSIERSE (DUTCH 1811-1901)
PEELING CARROTS BY CANDLELIGHT
Oil on panel
Signed (lower right)
34.5 x 26.5cm (13½ x 10¼ in.)
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1
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3,000 - 5,000 GBP
PIERRE FRANCOIS DE NOTER (FRENCH 1779-1843)
L'EGLISE DE SAINT-GERVAIS
Oil on panel
Signed, inscribed and dated '1822' (upper right)
35 x 29cm (13¾ x 11¼ in.)
Apol specialised in painting snowy winter landscapes and his picture Winter in the Forest received much acclaim when it was exhibited in the Hague in 1875 and was subsequently bought by the State. He was taught by J.F. Hoppenbrouwers and P.F. Stortenbeker and in 1868, at the age of 18, he received a scholarship from the Dutch King, Willem III. In 1880 Apol took part in an expedition on the SS Willem Barents to Spitsbergen <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitsbergen> in the Arctic Ocean. The impressions of this journey were a source of inspiration during his whole life. His work is in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Kunstmuseum in the Hague.
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1
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Estimate
5,000 - 8,000 GBP
λ PATRICK PROCKTOR (BRITISH 1936-2003)
TWO FIGURES IN A ROOM
Mixed media with collage
Signed and dated 12/63 (lower right); titled (verso)
74.5 x 55cm (29¼ x 21½ in.)
Provenance:
Redfern Gallery, London
Private Collection, Michael Armitage (25th July 1964)
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λ GLORIA VANDERBILT (AMERICAN 1924-2019)
WALKING DOLL
Mixed media on paper
Signed (lower left); titled (verso)
41 x 31cm (16 x 12 in.)
Gloria Vanderbilt was an American artist, socialite, actress and designer. She was born to the wealthy and influential Vanderbilt family, and her aunt was Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney - founder of the Whiteny Museum of American Art. She attended the Art Students League of New York where she practiced oil painting and held solo exhibitions. She is known as an important contributor to the development of the designer blue jean, and spent most of her life within the public eye. Her varied artistic practice explores portraiture and pattern in multicolour and she showed across New York and Vermont.
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ATTRIBUTED TO CHARLES JONES (BRITISH 1836-1892)
SHEEP IN A LANDSCAPE
Oil on canvas
Indistinctly signed (lower left)
76.5 x 127cm (30 x 50 in.)
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1
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30,000 - 50,000 GBP
λ VŨ CAO ĐÀM (FRENCH/VIETNAMESE 1908-2000)
MOTHER AND CHILD WITH HORSE LEAPING
Oil on board
Signed and dated 55 (lower right)
41 x 33cm (16 x 12 in.)
Vũ Cao Đàm, was an important Vietnamese artist who established a unique French-Vietnamese style and explored ideas of motherhood and folklore.
Vũ Cao Đàm was born in Hanoi under French Colonial rule and attended the École Supérieure des Beaux Arts de I'Indochine, set up by the French government in 1924. The director, Victor Tardieu, formed a syllabus to promote the study of Western traditions in art, whilst allowing space for native Vietnamese aesthetics to grow.
In 1931, Vũ Cao Đàm received a scholarship to travel to France and practice at the Cité Universitaire in Paris. During this period Vũ Cao Đàm was drawn to the impressionist and post-impressionist artists who accurately captured everyday scenes en-plein air with rapid, energetic brushstrokes, such as Van Gogh, Matisse and Renoir. Vũ Cao Đàm went on to exhibit at the Angkor Wat Pavilion during the Exposition Coloniale Internationale, as well as in the Far East Section of the École du Louvre.
In 1956, Vũ Cao Đàm relocated to the south of France where he made an important acquaintance with Marc Chagall (whose work The Story of Exodus can be seen in Lot 98). Chagall's swirling style and dream-like landscapes offer a clear delineation into Vu Cao Dam's own work, particularly Lot 142 Mother and Child with Horse Leaping . The mother and child are illustrated with gentle, soft features, and are sat within a clouded, formless landscape, blending outline with colour and recalling the visual lyricism of the French Impressionists. The motif of mother and child is further explored in subsequent lots 143 and 144. The artist has focused his attention on a close-up composition directing the viewer to the mother's affectionate gaze upon her child against a backdrop of a hazy blue and green pigment.
' Vu Cao Dam practices a very original art... His colors are dazzling, with strong blues and harmonies which are almost celestial .'
(Wally Findlay in Masters of the French School of Hanoi: Vu Cao Dam and Le Po, Wally Findlay Galleries exhibition catalogue, 1965)
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1
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30,000 - 50,000 GBP
λ VŨ CAO ĐÀM (FRENCH/ VIETNAMESE 1908-2000)
MOTHER HOLDING BABY IN AN ORANGE TUNIC
Oil on canvas
Signed (lower right)
25.5 x 27cm (10 x 10½ in.)
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1
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30,000 - 50,000 GBP
λ VŨ CAO ĐÀM (FRENCH/ VIETNAMESE 1908-2000)
MOTHER AND CHILD
Oil on panel
Signed (lower left); further signed and dated Vence 55 (verso)
35 x 27cm (13¾ x 10½ in.)
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λ DORIS CLARE ZINKEISEN (BRITISH 1898-1991)
HUNGARIAN GYPSY PRINCESS
Oil on canvas
Signed (lower left); titled (to stretcher verso)
46 x 38cm (18 x 14¾ in.)
Provenance:
Sale, Phillips, 10 May 1988, lot 184
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1
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2,000 - 3,000 GBP
λ RENE DUVILLIER (FRENCH 1919-2002)
DIABLES DE MER X
Oil on canvas
Signed (lower right); further signed, titled and dated 62 (verso)
60 x 72.5cm (23½ x 28½ in.)
Unframed
Provenance:
Sale, Christie's, London, 28 October 2008, lot 461
In the mid-1950s, art critic Charles Etienne invited René Duvillier to Brittany, France, where the artist immediately struck by the sea's immense power and the wondrous shapes formed by the movement of its waves. This inspiration culminated in the early 1960s with Duvillier's series Diables du Mer ("Sea Devils"). Lot 155, titled Diables du Mer X , exemplifies Duvillier's engagement with lyrical abstraction, featuring dynamic blue and black paint strokes radiating energetically from a central point and flowing spontaneously across the canvas.
" I found the movement and the gesture there. Everything was moving, the waves, the shore, the sky, the birds. I was especially struck by the spectacle of the Breton horses, manes flowing in the wind, springing out of the foam. I also found the ancient Greek myth of the birth of the sea ". René Duvillier, Françoise Livinec
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CONTINENTAL SCHOOL (20TH CENTURY)
NUDE IN A LANDSCAPE
Oil on canvas
Indistinctly signed Kolder/Kilder (lower right)
39 x 29cm (15¼ x 11¼ in.)
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λ FRANCOIS GALL (FRENCH/HUNGARIAN 1912-1987)
LA FEMME EN MAUVE
Oil on canvas
Signed (lower right)
22 x 27cm (8½ x 10½ in.)
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λ FRANCOIS GALL (FRENCH/HUNGARIAN 1912-1987)
MERE ET ENFANT
Oil on board
Signed and inscribed Paris (lower left)
22 x 27cm (8½ x 10½ in.)
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A PAINTED HATCHMENT FOR REV' HENRY WRIGHT OF MOTTRAM HALL
POSSIBLY 18TH CENTURY
Oil on canvas, retinted/retouched
142cm high, 142cm wide
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1
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Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
AFTER SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF QUEEN MARY, HALF-LENGTH, IN A BLUE DRESS EDGED WITH ERMINE AND HOLDING A SCEPTRE
Oil on canvas laid to board
Inscribed (centre right)
91.5 x 76cm (36 x 29¾ in.)
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W. SHUTTLEWORTH (19TH CENTURY)
A DARK BAY HUNTER IN A LANDSCAPE
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated '1827' (lower left)
58.5 x 75cm (23 x 29½ in.)
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CIRCLE OF ALEXANDER NASMYTH (BRITISH 1787-1831)
ST. BERNARD'S WELL, EDINBURGH
Oil on canvas
44.5 x 60.5cm (17½ x 23¾ in.)
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199
Quantity
1
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Estimate
1,500 - 2,000 GBP
AFTER HENRY TILSON
PORTRAIT OF SIR JOHN MAYNARD (CIRCA 1602 - 1690) WEARING ACADEMIC ROBES AND CAP
Oil on canvas laid to board
123 x 100.5cm (48¼ x 39½ in.)
Provenance:
Possibly commissioned by Joanna Maynard for Adlington Hall, and thence by descent
A full length version of this portrait, attributed to Henry Tilson (1659 - 1695), is kept the in National Trust Collection at Blickling Hall, Norfolk. This primary version is considered to have descended from Maynard's collection at Gunnersbury House to Blickling Hall by his Great-grandson John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckingham.
By his first wife the sitter, Sir John Maynard had two sons, John and Joseph, and four daughters, Elizabeth, Honora, Johanna, and Martha. His third daughter, Johanna, married Thomas Legh of Adlington; Maynard survived all his children, except his youngest daughter, and devided his estates in trust for his granddaughters and their issue in tail by a will so obscure that to settle the disputes to which it gave rise a private act of parliament was passed in 1694, notwithstanding which it was made the subject of litigation in 1709.
A speculative theory as to how a copy of the original composition found itself hung on the walls at Adlington Hall, could be that Sir John presented a version of the work to his daughter Johanna on occasion of her marriage to Thomas Legh.
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FOLLOWER OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF THOMAS CHARLES LEGH (1644-1691)
Oil on canvas, feigned oval
Later inscribed with identifying inscription and biography of the sitter (to canvas verso)
72.5 x 60cm (28½ x 23½ in.)
In a carved and gilded frame
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter for Adlington Hall and thence by descent
Thomas Legh's (1644-91) tenure at Adlington was brief. According to a manuscript held at Tabley House, on 6 April 1691 'Col. Legh, of Adlington, layning on a raile in Adlington, which breaking his fell and broak his neck and dyed'.
Whilst his tenure was short and his 'end' tragic, Thomas rebuilt the north front of Adlington . He was Colonel of Militia, High Sheriff of Cheshire and admitted to Gray's Inn on 16 May, 1662/3.
He married Joanna Maynard, daughter of Sir John Maynard and was the father of John Legh.
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1
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Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
PIETER JOHANNES VAN REYSCHOOT (FLEMISH 1702-1770)
PORTRAIT OF JOHN LEGH, HALF-LENGTH, IN A BLACK COAT, WHITE STOCK AND BROWN CLOAK
Oil on canvas, feigned oval
Signed (lower left)
74 x 62cm (29 x 24¼ in.)
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter for Adlington Hall, and thence by descent
John Legh (1668- 1739) was the son of Colonel Thomas Legh (1644-1691) and Johanna Maynard (unknown- 1700). He was a member of Parliament for Bodmin in Cornwall between 1715-1722. John married Lady Isabella Robartes, the grand-daughter of John Robartes 1 st Earl of Radnor (first creation) and daughter of Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin and Sarah Bodville, later Countess of Radnor.
John is credited for commissioning the the famed Aglington Organ in the Great Hall. Both Lady Isabella and her husband were passionate about music, and it is probable that the organ was a gift to her shortly after they arrived in Adlington. Stylistically, the organ case can be dated around 1700, and it is surmounted by a coat of arms celebrating the marriage of Lady Isabella and John.
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FOLLOWER OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF ISABELLA LEGH, HALF-LENGTH IN A GREY DRESS AND WHITE CHEMISE
Oil on canvas, feigned oval
75 x 62cm (29½ x 24¼ in.)
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter's husband, John Legh, and thence
by decent at Adlington Hall
Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes (1674-1725), was the daughter of
Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82), and Sarah Bodvile (1640-
1720). She was born in 1674 at Lanhydrock House, Cornwall. On 18 July
1693, she married John Legh Esq. of Adlington Hall (1688-1739) with
whom she had two children, Lucy Frances Legh (1695-1728) and Charles
Legh (1697-1781).
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SCOTTISH SCHOOL (CIRCA 1830)
PORTRAIT OF JOHN NAPIER OF MOLLANCE, HOLDING A WALKING STICK
Oil on canvas
91.5 x 71cm (36 x 27¾ in.)
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SCOTTISH SCHOOL (19TH CENTURY)
PORTRAIT OF MRS NAPIER OF MOLLANCE (1766 - 1839), IN A FUR-EDGED BLACK DRESS
Oil on canvas
91.5 x 71cm (36 x 27¾ in.)
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1
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Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
FOLLOWER OF SIR HENRY RAEBURN
PORTRAIT OF JAMES NAPIER AS A YOUNG MAN
Oil on canvas laid to board
90 x 62.5cm (35¼ x 24½ in.)
In a carved and gilded acorn running pattern frame
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1
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3,000 - 5,000 GBP
FOLLOWER OF JOHN WATSON GORDON
PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR JOHN ROBERTSON; AND OF HIS WIFE, MARIANNE
Oil on canvas, a pair
Each 108 x 84cm (42½ x 33 in.) (2)
Provenance:
Possibly commissioned by the sitter on the event of his marriage to Miss Marianne Pattinson of Montreal
The Lairds of Inshes, Inverness
Thence by descent to Arthur Masterson Robertson Renny
Removed to Adlington Hall
Thence by descent
It is likely that the sitters in the present lot are the grandparents of Arthur Masterton Robertson Renny who married Caroline Mary Florence Legh, nee Cotton (1873-1940), daughter of Florence Hester Lavinia Legh and heiress of Adlington. The portraits were then most likely brought to Adlington on the event of his marriage, towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Upon the death of the sitter whose family had been Lairds of Inshes for over four hundred years, the connection between the clan Robertson and the town of Inverness was broken.
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1
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Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
THOMAS HUDSON (BRITISH 1701-1779)
PORTRAIT OF THOMAS LEGH (1735-75)
Oil on canvas
124.5 x 100cm (49 x 39¼ in.)
In a carved and gilded frame
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by Charles Legh for Adlington Hall, and thence by descent
Thomas Legh (1735-75), was the only son and heir presumptive of Charles Legh of Adlington and his wife, Hester, daughter and co-heir of Robert Lee of Wincham, Cheshire. Known as Thomas Legh of Wincham, the estate he inherited through his mother, he married Mary, daughter of Francis Reynolds of Strangeways, Lancashire. Thomas Legh predeceased his father at age 40, and left no surviving issue. Upon the eventual death of his father Adlington was inherited by Thomas' cousin, Elizabeth Davenport, the daughter of Lucy Francis Legh and Sir Peter Davenport.
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20,000 - 30,000 GBP
THOMAS HUDSON (BRTISH 1701-1779)
PORTRAIT OF CHARLES LEGH; AND HIS WIFE HESTER
Oil on canvas, a pair
124.5 x 99cm (49 x 38¾ in.) (2)
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter for Adlington Hall, and thence by descent
Literature:
Adlington Guide Book: 'The Dining Room'.
This pair of portraits were presumably commissioned by the sitters to proclaim their status, joint fortunes and influence on the fabric of Adlington Hall.
Charles Legh (1697-1781) was the son and heir of John Legh (1668-1739) and Lady Isabella Robartes, sister of the 2nd Earl of Radnor. He married his wife, Hester (née Lee), in around 1730. Hester was the daughter of Robert Lee and through him inherited an estate at Wincham.
Charles Legh perhaps made the most extensive and fashionable improvements to Adlington Hall and its parkland. Evidently, he valued the historical part of his house ensuring that the older areas were incorporated into his new scheme. He created a new west wing comprising a principal staircase, dining-room, drawing-room, library and ball-room, completed in around 1749. The south front has a pediment frieze above the tall portico entrance with its four Ionic columns, and is inscribed 'Charles and Hester Legh 1757'. Charles Legh was also responsible for creating the stables, although there is no record of him having employed an architect for any of the architectural works at Adlington. It seems likely that he designed the additions himself, and used local builders and materials to implement his designs. Charles Legh was a friend of Handel, who is said to have visited Adlington Hall to play on the magnificent organ in the Great Hall, which was probably installed during the tenure of Charles' father, John, when he inherited Adlington in 1696.
Charles Legh's only son, Thomas Legh (1735-75), predeceased him, and when he himself died in 1781, the male line of the family became extinct, and the inheritance descended through the female line to his niece Elizabeth Rowlls, nee Davenport, who upon her inheritance took the name Legh.
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1
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Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
THOMAS HUDSON (BRITISH 1701-1779)
PORTRAIT OF MASTER THOMAS LEGH HOLDING A TRICORN HAT UNDER HIS ARM
Oil on canvas
124.5 x 100.5cm (49 x 39½ in.)
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by Charles Legh for Adlington Hall, and thence by descent
Literature:
'Adlington Hall, Cheshire: The Seat of Mr. A.M.R. Legh', Country Life, 29 July 1905, p. 130,
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1963 and p. 1961, fig. 3.
Thomas Legh (1735-75) was the only son and heir of Charles Legh Esq. of Adlington and his wife, Hester, daughter and co-heir of Robert Lee Esq. of Wincham, Cheshire. Known as Thomas Legh of Wincham, the estate he inherited through his mother, he married Mary, daughter of Francis Reynolds, Esq., of Strangeways, Lancashire. Thomas Legh predeceased his father at age 40, and left no surviving issue. The present portrait was most probably commissioned by the sitter's father, Charles, to sit alongside the pair of portraits of himself and his wife Hester, commissioned from the same artist, to proclaim the 'future' of a house which had just been aggrandised into a fashionable Georgian mansion.
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1
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Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 GBP
JOHN OPIE (BRITISH 1761-1807)
PORTRAIT OF JUDGE GEORGE LEWIS NEWNHAM
Oil on canvas laid to board
126 x 101.5cm (49½ x 39¾ in.)
In a Maratta frame
Literature:
(G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1962 and fig. 4 'The Dining-Room, beneath the Drawing-Room).
George Lewis Newnham (c. 1733-1800) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1780.
Newnham was the eldest son of Nathaniel Newnham, a London merchant and MP, and his wife Sarah Adams. He was educated at Eton College from 1745 to 1748 and was admitted to Lincoln's Inn on 20 November 1749 and Clare College, Cambridge on 10 April 1751. He was called to the bar on 3 February 1757.
Newnham's father recommended his son to the Duke of Newcastle for a seat in Parliament in 1761, but the Duke appeared to exclude him from opportunities at Lewes. In 1768 Newnham stood at Nottingham but withdrew before the poll. He became a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn and King's Counsel in 1772. At the 1774 general election, he was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Arundel on the interest of Sir John Shelley. In Parliament he voted with the opposition, but does not appear to have
spoken. He did not stand in the 1780 general election.
Newnham married Mary Ashton of Lincoln's Inn Fields on 7 October 1778. He succeeded to his mother's Newtimber estate on her death in 1788. He died on 2 August 1800. He and his wife Mary had one son and a daughter, Louisa, who married Sir Thomas Legh in 1812.
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4,000 - 6,000 GBP
JOHN OPIE (BRITISH 1761-1807)
PORTRAIT OF MRS NEWNHAM WITH HER CHILD
Oil on canvas laid to board
126 x 101.5cm (49½ x 39¾ in.)
In a Maratta frame
Mrs Newnham was the wife of Judge George Lewis Newnham.
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239
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1
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25,000 - 35,000 GBP
JOHN SOUCH OF CHESTER (BRITISH 1593-1645)
DOUBLE PORTRAIT OF THOMAS LEGH THE ELDER WITH HIS WIFE ANN GOBARTE, HE IN BLACK COAT AND BREECHES TRIMMED WITH GOLD BRAID, SHE WEARING A BLACK DRESS AND WHITE LACE COLLAR, WITH A SPANIEL IN A LANDSCAPE
Oil on canvas
217 x 212cm (85¼ x 83¼ in.) (2)
In a Lely panelled frame
John Souch ( c. 1593 - 1645) was born in Ormskirk, Lancashire and painted predominantly in the North-West of England. In 1607, at the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed to Randle Holme I, a herald painter and antiquary who had been appointed deputy Herald of the College of Arms in Cheshire, Lancashire and North Wales. His workshop would have produced heraldic devices, coats of arms, hatchments and the more gifted artist's also produced portraiture. Souch flourished under Holme's tutelage and when he left in 1616 he became a Freeman of Chester. He also became a member of the Painters and Stationers Company, a guild that met in the upper room of the Pheonis Tower on the city walls.
He was based in Chester but also travelled for commissions. His first recorded portrait is most probably that of Francis Clifford. 4 th Earl of Cumberland, which he painted at Skipton Castle in 1620 for which he was paid 30 shillings. His masterpiece is his group portrait of Sir Thomas Aston at the deathbed of his first wife , dating from 1635 and now in the Manchester City Art Gallery. There is also a marriage portrait signed and dated 1640 in the Grosvenor Museum, Chester.
He is recorded as having one apprentice by the name of Thomas Pulford in 1636. He died in 1645 and it is possible that he, like Randle Holme, were royalist supporters and died in the siege of Chester during the Civil War.
Thomas Legh, like his sons, was a staunch Royalist and on two occasions Adlington was taken by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War. According to a 1952 Country Life article about the collection, this picture was defaced and marks made by sword-slashes can still be seen.
The sitters are depicted hand-in-hand and have conspicuously removed their gloves to do so. A sign of their tender intimacy.
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λ CARLOS SANCHA (20TH CENTURY)
GROUP PORTRAIT OF CHARLES, JANE AND CAMILLA LEGH IN THE GROUNDS OF ADLINGTON HALL
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated '1965' (lower right)
124.5 x 100cm (49 x 39¼ in.)
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WILFRED GABRIEL DE GLEHN (BRITISH 1920-2001)
PORTRAIT OF CYNTHIA LEGH, O.B.E. HALF-LENGTH IN A RED DRESS
Oil on canvas
Signed (upper right)
74 x 70cm (29 x 27½ in.)
Painted 1946.
Exhibited:
London, Royal Academy, Summer 1946 (according to handwritten label verso)
During the Second World War Cynthia Legh (1896-1983) converted part of Adlington Hall into a maternity hospital for the wives of servicemen.
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2,000 - 3,000 GBP
CIRCLE OF PHILIP MERCIER (GERMAN 1689-1760)
A PAIR OF FETE GALANTE SCENES
Oil on metal
Each 34.5 x 47cm (13½ x 18½ in.) (2)
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4,000 - 6,000 GBP
ATTRIBUTED TO MARY BEALE (BRITISH 1632-1697) AFTER SIR PETER LELY
LETITIA ISABELLA SMITH, COUNTESS OF RADNOR (CIRCA 1630 - 1714) IN PEERESS' ROBES
Oil on canvas laid to board
101.5 x 99cm (39¾ x 38¾ in.)
Provenance:
Possibly commissoned by John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor for Llanhydrock, until inherited by Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes, or Charles Legh, and thence by descent at Adlington Hall
Literature:
Another version of this portrait
https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/352351
Letitia Isabella Smith was the daughter of Sir John Smith of Bidborough, Kent. She was the second wife of John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor with whom she had nine other children, including Francis, and Araminta, who married Ezekiel Hopkins, Bishop of Derry. Letitia has been identified as the "Lady Robarts" mentioned in Count Hamilton's Mémoires du Comte de Grammont, par le C. Antoine Hamilton. Edition ornée de LXXII portraits, Graves d'apres les tableaux originaux., A Londres , [1793], and was described by Samuel Pepys as "a great beauty indeed". Although confusingly previously identified as Harriet, Wife of William, 1st Earl of Radnor (2nd Creation) another version of this work is housed at Llanhydrock House, Cornwall, inscribed as being Letitia Isabella Smith.
The present portrait most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to or purchased by the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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3,000 - 4,000 GBP
AFTER SIR PETER LELY
PORTRAIT OF SARAH BODVILLE, THE HON. MRS ROBERT ROBARTES, LATER VISCOUNTESS BODMIN AND COUNTESS OF RADNOR
Oil on canvas laud on board
122 x 114.5cm (48 x 45 in.)
Provenance:
Possibly commissioned by the sitter, until inherited by Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes, and thence by descent at Adlington Hall
Literature:
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1962 and fig. 6 'Detail of the Ceiling and Overmantel in Mrs. Legh's Bedroom. The portrait is Sarah, Countess of Radnor'.
Picture at Lanhydrock
<https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/884968>
Lady Sarah Bodvile (1640-1720) was the wife of Lord Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82) and mother to Charles Bodvile Robartes, 2 nd Earl of Radnor (1653-1723). Due to the premature death of her husband and as the mother of the 2nd Earl she was granted the right to use the title 'Countess' upon the death of her father-in-law, the 1 st Earl in 1685.
The present portrait most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to, or purchased by, the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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3,000 - 4,000 GBP
AFTER SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF ELIZABETH CUTLER, COUNTESS OF RADNOR (DIED CIRCA 1696)
Oil on canvas
Later inscribed with identifying inscription (to stretcher verso)
117 x 95.5cm (46 x 37½ in.)
In a carved and gilded frame
Literature:
The primary version at Llanhydrock <https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/884939>
Lady Elizabeth Cutler (d. 1696) was the daughter of Sir John Cutler, 1st Bt., of Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire, and his second wife, Elicia Tipping. On 4 June 1689, Lady Elizabeth married Charles Bodvile Robartes, 2nd Earl of Radnor, son of Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82), and Sarah Bodvile (1640-1720). She died on 13 January 1696, without issue. The present portrait most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to or purchased by the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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3,000 - 5,000 GBP
FOLLOWER OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF LADY ISABELLA LEGH
Oil on canvas
Later inscribed with identifying inscription (verso)
121 x 99cm (47½ x 38¾ in.)
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter's husband, John Legh, and thence by decent at Adlington Hall
Literature:
'Adlington Hall, Cheshire: The Seat of Mr. A.M.R. Legh', Country Life, 29 July 1905, p. 130, 'The Drawing-Room'.
Adlington Guide Book: 'The Drawing Room'.
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1960, fig. 2 'The mid-Georgian staircase in the West front.
Lady Isabella Legh, née Robartes (1674-1725), was the daughter of Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82), and Sarah Bodvile (1640-1720). She was born in 1674 at Lanhydrock House, Cornwall. On 18 July 1693, she married John Legh Esq. of Adlington Hall (1688-1739) with whom she had two children, Lucy Frances Legh (1695-1728) and Charles Legh (1697-1781).
Both Lady Isabella and her husband were interested in music, and it is probable that the organ in the Great Hall was a gift to her from him shortly after they arrived in Adlington. Stylistically, the organ case can be dated around 1700, and it is surmounted by a coat of arms celebrating the marriage of Lady Isabella and John.
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30,000 - 50,000 GBP
ANGLO-DUTCH SCHOOL ( CIRCA 1645)
GROUP PORTRAIT OF LADY BODVILE WITH HER TWO DAUGHTERS, AND A PAGE
Oil on canvas
Later inscribed with identifying inscription ' THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LADY BODVILE & HER DAUGHTERS, SHE WAS MOTHER TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SARAH, COUNTESS OF RADNOR' (to the stretcher verso)
107 x 127cm (42 x 50 in.)
In a wood frame carved with a sun, heads of flowers and scrolling foliage
Provenance:
Possibly commissioned by Sir John Bodvile for Bodvile Castle
Inherited by Sarah, Countess of Radnor and possibly at Llanhydrock,
Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes and thence by descent at Adlington Hall
Literature:
'Adlington Hall, Cheshire: The Seat of Mr. A.M.R. Legh', Country Life, 29 July 1905, p. 130, 'Portraits of former Leghs over chimney-piece'.
Adlington Guide Book: 'The North Front Rooms'.
'Beneath the spectator in Fig. 4 is a portrait attributed to Van Dyck of Lady Bodville and her two daughters, the elder of whom, Sarah, subsequently married the Viscount Bodmin, whose portrait has already been mentioned. After her father-in-law's death in 1865 she was granted by Royal Warrant the precedence of the wife of an earl, as if her husband had succeeded to the Radnor title. Pepys met her and described her as a "great beauty and a fine lady indeed"
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1962 and p. 1961, fig. 4 'The Dining-Room, beneath the Drawing-Room.
This portrait is of Lady Anne Bodvile, née Russell (1612-69), wife of Sir John Bodvile of Bodvile Castle, Gwynedd, Wales, and her two daughters, Sarah (1640-1720) and Lucy (1655-unknown).
The present portrait most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to, or purchased by, the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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3,000 - 5,000 GBP
FOLLOWER OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF LADY ISABELLA LEGH, HOLDING FLOWERS IN A ROCKY LANDSCAPE
Oil on canvas
With later identifying inscription (to canvas verso)
121 x 96.5cm (47½ x 37 in.)
In a carved and gilded frame
Provenance:
Possibly commissioned by John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor for Llanhydrock, Cornwall
Inherited by Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes or Charles Legh
Thence by descent at Adlington Hall
Literature:
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1961.
Lady Isabella Legh née Robartes (1674-1725) was the daughter of Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82), and Sarah Bodvile, later Countess of Radnor(1640-1720). She was born in 1674 at Lanhydrock House, Bodmin, Cornwall. On 18 July 1693, she married John Legh of Adlington Hall (1688-1739) with whom she had two children, Lucy Frances Legh (1695-1728) and Charles Legh (1697-1781).
It is possible that the present portrait was commissioned by the sitter's father as a series of portraits depicting his daughters or children. It most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to, or purchased by, the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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1,500 - 2,000 GBP
FOLLOWER OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF A LADY, POSSIBLY ELIZABETH CUTLER OR LADY LAETITIA SMYTH
Oil on canvas
120 x 95cm (47 x 37¼ in.)
The present lot has traditionally be described as a portrait of the second wife of the 2nd Earl of Radnor. However the 2nd Earl (first creation) was only married once. It is more likely then that this is either the second wife of the 1st Earl (first creation), Lady Laetitia Smyth, or the first and only wife of the 2nd Earl, Elizabeth Cutler.
Elizabeth Cutler was the daughter of Sir John Cutler, 1st Bt. and his second wife, Elicia Tipping. On 4 June 1689, she married Charles Bodvile Robartes, 2nd Earl of Radnor, son of Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82), and Sarah Bodvile (1640-1720). She died on 13 January 1696, without issue.
The present portrait most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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AFTER SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF LADY LUCY BOOTH
Oil on canvas
125 x 100cm (49 x 39¼ in.)
Provenance:
Possibly commissioned by John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor for Llanhydrock, Cornwall
Inherited by Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes or Charles Legh
Thence by descent at Adlington Hall
Literature:
Another version at Llanhydrock
https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/884941
Lady Lucy Booth, nee Robartes (unknown-1717), was the sister of Lady Isabella Legh née Robartes (1674-1725) and Charles Bodvile Robartes, 2nd Earl of Radnor (1653-1723), and the daughter of Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82), and Sarah Bodvile, later Countess of Radnor (1640-1720). She married George Booth Esq. the brother of Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington.
Another version of this painting can be found at Lanhydrock, Cornwall. It has previously been suggested that the sitter could be Mary Oldbury, Countess of Warrington ( circa 1680-85 - 1740), Lucy's sister in law, but a label on the back of the Lanhydrock version would suggest that Lucy is a more likely candidate.
The present portrait most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
FOLLOWER OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF LADY ESSEX ROBARTES, HOLDING A BASKET OF FLOWERS ON A LEDGE
Oil on canvas
124.5 x 100.5cm (49 x 39½ in.)
In a carved and gilded frame
Provenance:
Possibly commissioned by John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor for Llanhydrock, Cornwall
Inherited by Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes or Charles Legh
Thence by descent at Adlington Hall
Literature:
Adlington Guide Book: 'The Drawing Room'.
Lady Essex Robartes (unknown-1727), was the sister of Lady Isabella Legh née Robartes (1674-1725) and Charles Bodvile Robartes, 2nd Earl of Radnor (1653-1723), and the daughter of Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82), and Sarah Bodvile, later Countess of Radnor (1640-1720). She appears to have been unmarried.
It is possible that the present portrait was commissioned by the sitter's father as a series of portraits depicting his daughters or children. It most likely entered the Legh collection following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to, or purchased by, the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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Estimate
1,500 - 2,000 GBP
GEORGE WILLIAM SARTORIUS (1759-1828)
STILL LIFE OF FRUIT WITH A MALLARD AND A SONGBIRD
Oil on canvas
Signed (lower right)
42 x 53.5cm (16½ x 21 in.)
In a carved and gilded frame
Literature:
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1962 and p. 1961, fig. 4 'The Dining-Room, beneath the Drawing-Room.
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8,000 - 12,000 GBP
ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN SOUCH OF CHESTER (1593-1645)
PORTRAIT OF COLONEL THOMAS LEGH THE ELDER, AGED 39
Oil on canvas
Inscribed 'Aetatis suae 39' 'And Dou 1632' (upper left)
104.5 x 89cm (41 x 35 in.)
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter for Adlington Hall, and thence by descent
Literature:
O. Millar, The Career o . f 'John S'ouch of 'Chester
Burlington Magazine. May I 997. p.306. fig. I I
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1963 and p. 1961, fig. 3.
,
Adlington Guide Book: 'The Drawing Room'.
Thomas Legh The Elder was the son of Sir Urian Legh (1566-1627) and Margaret Trafford, daughter of Sir Edmund Trafford. He married the heiress, Ann Gobart (1590-1675) in 1610. He was twice High Sheriff of Cheshire (1629 and 1642) and a Colonel in the Royalist Army during the Civil War. He lost Adlington Hall in December 1642 but regained it soon after. In February 1644 the house was again besieged. This time it had to be surrendered to the Parliamentarians in order to prevent severe damage.
Later that year, Colonel Legh died at Chester, to be succeeded by his son, also Thomas (1614-87). The estate was not returned to the family until 1656 after heavy fines had been paid.
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CIRCLE OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER (BRITISH 1646-1723)
PORTRAIT OF ANNE, WIFE OF COLONEL THOMAS LEGH THE ELDER
Oil on canvas, feigned oval
71 x 61cm (27¾ x 24 in.)
Provenance:
Possibly commission by the sitter's son, Thomas Legh The Younger for Adlington Hall, thence by descent
Literature:
Adlington Guide Book: 'The Drawing Room'.
Ann Gobart (1590-1675) married Thomas Legh (1593-1644) on 24 August 1610. She was heir to her father's estate as the eldest of his two daughters. It is possible that, after the death of her husband in 1644, her son Thomas Legh The Younger commissioned this portrait to accompany the earlier portrait of his father.
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Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
ATTRIBUTED TO SIR PETER LELY (DUTCH 1618 - 1680) AND STUDIO
PORTRAIT OF SARAH BODVILE, THE HON. MRS ROBERT ROBARTES, LATER VISCOUNTESS BODMIN AND COUNTESS OF RADNOR
Oil on canvas
124 x 100cm (48¾ x 39¼ in.)
In a Kentian frame surmounted by an Earl's coronet
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter for Llanhydrock, later inherited by Lady Isabella Legh, nee Robartes, or Charles Legh and moved to Adlington Hall, thence by descent
Literature:
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1962 and fig. 6 'Detail of the Ceiling and Overmantel in Mrs. Legh's Bedroom. The portrait is Sarah, Countess of Radnor'.
Picture at Lanhydrock
<https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/884968>
Lady Sarah Bodvile (1640-1720) was the wife of Lord Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin (1634-82) and mother to Charles Bodvile Robartes, 2 nd Earl of Radnor (1653-1723). Due to the premature death of her husband and as the mother of the 2nd Earl she was granted the right to use the title 'Countess' upon the death of her father-in-law, the 1 st Earl in 1685.
The present portrait is believed to be the primary version of this portrait, with two other known to be in existence, one also within the Adlington collection and the other at Llanhrydrock. It was most likely commissioned by the sitter to immortalise herself as a Countess within its impressive frame which is surmounted by an earl's coronet. It is probable that it entered the Legh collection at Adlington following the marriage of Lady Isabella Robartes (1674-1725) to John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Alternatively, it is conceivable that it could have been retained at Llanhyrdrock but later gifted to the Legh family upon the death of their cousin, the 3rd Earl of Radnor, in 1741 when the Radnor title and Llanhydrock were separated: the title succeeded by distant cousin and the house, believe by antiquarian John Loveday to be in a sorry state , bequeathed to a nephew.
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Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
ENGLISH SCHOOL (17TH CENTURY) PORTRAIT OF SIR URIAN LEGH Extensively inscribed with the sitter's identity and coat of arms (upper right and left) 72.5 x 61cm (28½ x 24 in.) In a carved and gilded frame
Provenance: Probably commissioned by the sitter for Adlington Hall, and thence by descent Literature: G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1963 and p. 1961, fig. 3 and p. 1962, fig. 5.
Adlington Guide Book: 'The Drawing Room'.
Sir Urian Legh was born in 1566. He was the eldest son of Thomas Legh, the builder of much of the Tudor wing at Adlington. As a young man he took part in the attack on Cadiz, and was knighted there by Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, in 1596. He is among the candidates for the honour of being the Englishman in the famous ballad The Spanish Lady's Love, quoted in Percy's Reliques of Ancient Poetry 'Will you hear a Spanish lady. How she wooed an English man? ... Ten years before the descent on Cadiz. Sir Urian married Margaret, daughter of Sir Edmund Trafford, and after succeeding his father in 1601 settled at Adlington, where he became Mayor of Macclesfield and High Sheriff of Cheshire' . He died in 1629. The present portrait was most likely commission by the sitter for Adlington and had descended to every incumbent since.
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THOMAS BARDWELL (BRITISH 1704-1767)
VIEWS OF ADLINGTON HALL AND PARK
Oil on canvas, a set of four
Each 61.5 x 101cm (24 x 39.3⁄4 in.) (4)
Provenance:
Charles Legh, descent to current owner
Literature:
County Life, 28 November 1952, p.1734, fig. 1; 12 December 1952, p. 165, fig.9.
J. Harris, The Artist and the Country House , London, 1979, p.321, no.360.
P. de Figueiredo and Julian Treuherz, Cheshire Country Houses , Chichester, 1988, pp.17-18, fig.9.
G. Tyack and S. Brindle, Country Houses of England, 1994, pp.84-85.
J. Harris, The Artist and the Country House . London, 1995, p.84-5, fig. 57-8.
Exhibition:
Sotheby's London, The Artist and the Country House, no.57 and 58.
The present lot is a striking example of English country house portraiture, commissioned as a painterly record of a generation's contribution to the family seat. The tradition of estate painting arrived in England relatively late in comparison with the continent, where Renaissance rulers and aristocrats sought to document their palaces and homes. While oil paintings on canvas of a standalone property are unrecorded in England before 1600, the tradition was taken up with great enthusiasm and the art form reached its zenith in the eighteenth-century.
Born in Suffolk in 1704, Thomas Bardwell was a painter with a varied oeuvre; he travelled across England and Scotland executing country house views, portraits and conversation pieces. He began his artistic career decorating house interiors and initially owned a paint supply business. Although he lacked formal training, in the 1720s he was employed by the successful country house painter Peter Tillemans (c. 1684-1734) to paint Livermere Hall in Bardwell's native East Anglia. Tillemans' influence on Bardwell is discernible from his earliest topographical pictures. Notably, his painting of Hedenham Hall (1735) adopts Tillemans' distinctive equine staffage, shown most prominently in his view of Chatsworth (1720s) . Though charmingly naïve, this early work is also notable for its sensitive observation of detail and miniature-like quality.
Previously attributed to James Shrigley, The Adlington views demonstrate how Bardwell's proficiency in country house painting evolved in his mature years. First and foremost, the works memorialise the architectural achievements of Charles Legh (1697-1781), including the south wing portico, detached stable block, domed Temple of Diana and garden follies. Although early continental estate pictures certainly display a keen interest in preserving specific details, decorative concerns often came at the expense of accuracy and views were compressed to create broad pictorial maps. By the turn of the 18th century, however, artists and patrons responded to the growing study of topography and sets of elevational views proliferated to provide a comprehensive record.
Bardwell's interest in perspectival accuracy therefore made him a fitting choice for the commission. Published in 1756, his study The Practice of Painting and Perspective Made Easy offers the reader a guide to the principles of perspective using illustrations of buildings, gardens and avenues. His principles are brought to fruition in the present works, through geometric precision, carefully manipulated areas of light and shadow and the incisive rendering of architectural detail.
Bardwell's views also act as a celebration of the English estate, with its bucolic scenery and rural pleasures. Following Charles Legh as he strolls around the grounds, the paintings provide a pictorial tour of the landscape. The parkland is characteristic of the mid eighteenth-century designs popularised by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, with rolling pastures and clusters of trees. Horses graze, deer and rabbits frolic, and Charles Legh is accompanied by a crowd of his cherished dogs. Indeed, the lines between portraiture, landscape, sporting and country house painting blurred in English eighteenth-century conversation pieces and works began to speak to the symbiotic relationship between the home and family. Thomas Bardwell's portraits, for instance, often include the sitter's home in the background and his estate views show figures riding or promenading through the grounds.
John Steegman wrote that 'a house may be called Castle, Abbey, Priory, Park, Hall, Court, Manor, or just a House...But they are all houses, which have been born-in, lived-in and died-in by the family, and which are centred the family's affections and pride'. Bardwell's pictures animate the country house by reflecting the delight and fulfilment of those who inhabit it. In one view, Charles Legh stands proudly before the imposing new facade. Another shows him looking across his sweeping vista and admiring Adlington Hall from a distance. In each picture, however, the figure moves unobtrusively across the landscape; there is an awareness of his transience. While one generation travels through, the home and park remain the constant focus, a testament to one family's enduring legacy.
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HENRIETTE GUDIN (FRENCH 1825 - 1892)
COASTAL SCENE WITH BEACHED FISHING BOATS AND FISHER FOLK ON THE SHORE
Oil on panel
Indistinctly signed (lower left)
12.5 x 21cm (4¾ x 8¼ in.)
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FOLLOWER OF FRANS FRANCKEN
VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH SAINT JOHN, ST. CATHERINE, AND SAINT AGNES
Oil on metal
37 x 28cm (14½ x 11 in.)
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A VICTORIAN `CHIPPENDALE REVIVAL' CARVED OAK PICTURE FRAME
SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY Surmounted by a crown and with a pierced surround of foliate C- and S-scrolls, now fitted with a mirror
166 x 134cm wide
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ENGLISH SCHOOL (19TH CENTURY)
PORTRAIT OF A LADY , POSSIBLY LOUISA NEWNHAM
Oil on canvas
145 x 113cm (57 x 44¼ in.)
Whilst it is not possible to confirm the sitter with certainty, Louisa Newnham, daughter of Judge George Lewis
Newnham, is a likely candidate owing to the fashion being worn which dates to around 1820. Louisa married Sir Thomas Crosse Legh in 1812. The sitter is depicted resting on Lot 320.
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FOLLOWER OF SIR GODFREY KNELLER
PORTRAIT OF LADY ISABELLA LEGH IN A BROWN DRESS
Oil on canvas
125 x 100cm (49 x 39¼ in.)
Lady Isabella Legh née Robartes (1674-1725) married John Legh of Adlington Hall in 1693. Both Lady Isabella and her husband were interested in music, and it is probable that the organ in the Great Hall was a gift to her from him shortly after they arrived in Adlington. Stylistically, the organ case can be dated around 1700, and it is surmounted by a coat of arms celebrating the marriage of Lady Isabella and Sir John. The organ's arrival at Adlington preceded the friendship between the couple's son, Charles, and the great musician, Handel.
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ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS HUDSON (BRITISH 1701 - 1779)
PORTRAIT OF HESTER LEGH,
Oil on canvas
124 x 99cm (48¾ x 38¾ in.)
Literature:
'Adlington Hall, Cheshire: The Seat of Mr. A.M.R. Legh', Country Life, 29 July 1905, p. 130, 'The Drawing-Room'.
G. Nares, 'Adlington Hall, Cheshire - III: The home of Mrs. Legh', Country Life, 12 December 1952, p. 1960, fig. 2 'The mid-Georgian staircase in the West front.
Hester Legh, nee Lee, was the wife of Charles Legh (1697-1781). She was the daughter of Robert Lee and through him inherited an estate at Wincham. Charles and Hester perhaps made the most extensive and fashionable improvements to Adlington Hall and its parkland. The south front has a pediment frieze above the tall portico entrance with its four Ionic columns, and is inscribed 'Charles and Hester Legh 1757'.
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