This exquisite portrait passed from the sitter by direct descent to Sir Andrew George Buchanan, 5th Baronet (born 1937) of Hodsock Priory, Nottinghamshire, until recently. This represents circa 300 years of family ownership. John Gore’s descendants resided at Blyth Hall - an ancient building that is believed to have been in the hands of just three families since the Norman Conquest - and the ancient Hodsock Priory. It is the archetypal English portrait. In the 18th century, England’s upper classes entered a new era of prosperity. No longer the preserve of royalty, commissioned portraits - of oneself or one’s ancestors - became a coveted symbol of wealth and status. As such portraiture in England developed a distinctive ‘Englishness’ which was a break away from the traditional and dominant schools in France and Italy. This portrait is a sublime example of this restrained but yet engaging portrait style. Held in a fine gilded and carved antique frame.The sitter is John Go...