A fine and impressive pair of portraits showing a prosperous man and woman (presumably husband and wife) by the great pastelist and painter in oils, Francis Cotes. These portraits are early examples of Francis Cotes�s work in oils and they provide an enchanting snapshot of the middle classes of mid-Georgian England. Francis Cotes (1726-1770) For much of his career up to the late 1750s, Cotes had been a specialist in pastels, perfecting his use of the medium to produce naturalistic portraits that conveyed a sense of the sitter�s individual character. Although Cotes�s first portrait in oils is dated to 1753, it was not until the end of the decade that he began to work more extensively in the medium. Deeply impressed by the example of Allan Ramsay, who established his career in London following his return from Italy in 1757, Cotes began to develop a manner of painting that introduced something of th...