Titan Fine Art has dated this 18th Century Oil Portrait to the 18th Century.
Thomas belonged to the family whose ancestral seat, Trentham Hall in Staffordshire, became one of England's grandest country houses. Originating in a medieval priory acquired in 1540 by the prosperous merchant James Leveson, the estate grew into a magnificent aristocratic residence. In the nineteenth century Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Palace of Westminster, transformed Trentham into a spectacular Italianate mansion with monumental entrances, a sculpture gallery, orangery and celebrated gardens. The family's collections included paintings by Titian, Van Dyck, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Romney and Angelica Kauffman; its London residence, Stafford House (now Lancaster House), was likewise renowned for its Sutherland Gallery. Although the portrait's original hanging location has not been established, it survived within this distinguished family collection.
The sitter is depicted seated in a landscape, wearing a fashionable grey coat, white neckcloth and a voluminous russet-brown cloak. A luxuriant dark periwig frames his youthful face, while his relaxed pose combines elegant informality with aristocratic confidence. His costume, hairstyle and apparent age support a date of approximately 1719–1723.
Born at Trentham in 1699, Thomas was the son of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Baron Gower, a prominent Tory parliamentarian and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Lady Catherine Manners, daughter of the 1st Duke of Rutland of Belvoir Castle. The marriage united two immensely wealthy families; Catherine's marriage portion was reportedly £15,000. Thomas's father died when he was ten, leaving the family estates and title to his elder brother John, later 1st Earl Gower.
Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, Thomas was elected MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1722. In 1725 he was appointed to help manage evidence in the impeachment of the former Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Macclesfield, whose corruption scandal captivated political Britain. His promising career ended abruptly when he died in London on 12 August 1727, aged just twenty-eight. He never married or had children and was buried at Trentham.
The portrait may have been commissioned to mark Thomas's coming of age or entry into public life. Kneller, Principal Painter to the Crown and portraitist at the royal courts from Charles II to George I, led the most prestigious portrait studio of his generation. His practice commonly involved personal attention to the sitter's head and assistance with costume and drapery. The sensitive handling of Thomas's face and broader treatment elsewhere are consistent with this working method. The painting was catalogued as Sir G. Kneller in the Sutherland sale of 1948.
Provenance:
(Presumably) commissioned by the sitter or his family; by descent in the Leveson-Gower family, later Dukes of Sutherland;
George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland;
his sale, Christie's, London, 22 October 1948, lot 37 (bought by Wiggin);
anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 3 August 1979, lot 82.
An evocative likeness of a young man whose life was tragically brief, with the exceptional distinction of an identifiable sitter, a distinguished early Georgian attribution and a provenance reaching into the celebrated aristocratic world of Trentham Hall and the Dukes of Sutherland.
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Titan Fine Art has dated this 18th Century Oil Portrait to the 18th Century.
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Portrait of the Hon. Thomas Leveson-gower, C.1719-1723; Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723) and Studio, Oil on Canvas Painting
