Thomas Lawrence (1756-1823)
| Artist Name | Thomas Lawrence (1756-1823) |
|---|---|
| Title | Portrait of William Cooper, High Sheriff, Surrey 1836 |
| Description | This superb Victorian portrait oil painting is by circle of Thomas Lawrence. Painted circa 1836 the sitter is William Henry Cooper, of Pains Hill, Cobham, Surrey and High Sherrif in 1836. His wife, Harriet was also painted by the artist. This portrait is three-quarter length and Cooper is seated wearing a white stock with a black jacket before a landscape. The detail of his face and hands are excellent. The Office of High Sheriff is an independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year. The origins of the Office date back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order within the shire, or county, and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown. |
| Provenance | Information re artist and sitter verso. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 28 x 38 inches |
| Frame | Housed in an ornate gilt frame, 46 inches by 36 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) was a leading English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. Lawrence was a child prodigy. He was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at the Bear Hotel in the Market Square. At the age of ten, having moved to Bath, he was supporting his family with his pastel portraits. At eighteen he went to London and soon established his reputation as a portrait painter in oils, receiving his first royal commission, a portrait of Queen Charlotte, in 1790. He stayed at the top of his profession until his death, aged 60, in 1830. |
| Price | £8500 |
