Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 1800s.
An utterly enchanting portrait of a little girl, about three years old, offering a savoury treat to her dog, unaware that her parrot has opened the door of its cage and has designs on the larger piece she holds behind her back.
This a superb evocation of a late Georgian childhood with an amusing twist.
WILLIAM OWEN RA, (born Ludlow, 1769; died in London, 11 March 1825) was the son of a bookseller, he was educated at the grammar school in Ludlow and was sent to London in 1786 to study under Charles Catton the elder (1728-98), coach painter to George III and founder-member of the Royal Academy.
Owen's copy of a work by Reynolds, made soon after his arrival, attracted the latter's attention. He entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1791 and exhibited at the Royal Academy the following year.
He painted a number of rural scenes but specialized in portrait painting. Although his reputation was eclipsed by that of Thomas Lawrence, he was sought after by many of the eminent figures of the day, producing portraits of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr William Howley (1813), and of the politician and essayist John Wilson Croker (exh. 1812; both London, N.P.G.); other of his sitters were William Pitt the younger and John Soane.
He was particularly good at portraying children and elderly sitters.
In 1810 he was appointed Portrait Painter to the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and in 1813 Principal Portrait Painter to the Prince when the latter became Prince Regent. The Prince Regent does not seem to have sat to him but nonetheless he offered Owen a knighthood, which the painter refused.
At this time his income was £3000 a year...an enormous sum.
From c. 1820 Owen's health deteriorated until a disease of the spine confined him to his room and finally rendered him incapable of painting. He died after accidentally taking a bottle of opium that had been wrongly labelled by a chemist's assistant. After his death many of his portraits were finished by Edward Daniel Leahy.
SIZE:50 5 x 30 25 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Dorset Private Collection.
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this piece to the 1800s.
Roy and nadine precious: specialists in portraiture from the 16th to the 20th century. Established in 1972.
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Sold....portrait of a Young Girl with Her Pets C.1810; Studio or Circle of William Owen R.A.
