Circle of Richard Cosway, 1742 - 1821Portrait of a Young lady Holding her Childpencil and watercolour25 x 20 cm. (9.3/4 x 7.3/4in.)Born in Tiverton, Devon, the son of a schoolmaster, he was initially educated at Blundell''s School but allowed to travel to London aged just 12 to take lessons in learning. He won a prize from the Society of Artists in 1754 and by 1760 had established his own business. He exhibited his first works aged just 20 in 1762 and was soon in demand. Such was his success, that still not 30, Cosway was elected one of the founder members of the Royal Academy (he is included in a group portrait of the 1768 founders, though some accounts suggest he was appointed an Academician three years later, in 1771. He painted the future King George IV in 1780 and was appointed Painter to the Prince of Wales[1] in 1785—the only time this title was ever awarded. His subjects included the Prince''s first wife, Maria Anne Fitzherbert, and various English and French ar...