A large scale, richly coloured and highly decorative portrait of a young girl holding her spaniel which presents a charming vision of childhood in the first years of eighteenth-century England. The attractive young lady stands full length in a forest clearing, under the same of a tree. In the distance, a tower and church spire can just be glimpsed. With her head slightly inclined she looks directly out at the viewer and engages us with her sympathetic gaze. Sitting aside her upon a grassy outcrop is her pet spaniel, she rests one arm upon it, and with the other she strokes the pup affectionately under its chin. Her costume of a long blue shimmering silk dress and wrap both have finely executed drapery, the latter introduces a welcome element of dynamic movement to this work. The confident handing of the sitters face and plaited hair are also notable.This portrait provides a captivating insight into early-Georgian ideas...