Radnorshire Fine Arts Ltd has dated this Victorian Oil Sketch Panel to the 1850s.
Oil on prepared panel signed ‘HG’ and dated Oct 1851 (lower right corner), further inscribed with the artists monogram alongside the title: ‘Reminiscences of a journey to Ireland in company with Mr Sandwich’, Sep 1851 (lower centre). The panel is impressed with the manufacturers stamp; BROWN 163 HIGH HOLBORN.
Panel: 10 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. (27.3 x 35 cm.)
Frame: 12 5/8 x 15 5/8 in. (32 x 39.5 cm.)
The beautifully painted vignettes depict a variety of subjects including; ‘A Trip on a Paddle Steamer’; ‘A Ride in a Cart‘; ‘A Train Journey’, ‘A View of a Lake’; ‘A view in a Town’; ‘Performing Dogs’; and various other studies. The full-length portrait of the man is believed to be John Montagu, the 7th Earl of Sandwich. In 1852 Henry Graves exhibited a portrait of The Hon. Oliver Montague, youngest son of the Earl of Sandwich at the Royal Academy, No.165.
The specific event referenced in the vignettes is the official liquidation and sale of the Irish ancestral estates belonging to John William Montagu, which culminated between September and October 1851. While the 7th Earl lived primarily at Hinchingbrooke House in Huntingdonshire, England, his trip to Ireland during this exact window was a high-profile business and legal venture. It was triggered by the aftermath of the Great Irish Famine and the introduction of the Incumbered Estates Act.
More details can be found on our website: Radnorshire Fine Arts Ltd - Search - Henry Richard Graves
Henry Richard Graves (1818-1882), portrait painter, was the son of Thomas North, 2nd Baron Graves and his wife Lady Mary Paget, sister of the First Marquess of Anglesey. After a spell working for the India Board in London, he established himself as a portrait painter in London, exhibiting 71 works at the Royal Academy between 1846 and 1881 and established a successful high society portrait practice. His aristocratic clients included Lady Dorothy Nevill, General Sir George Brown GCB, Sir Henry Keppel RN, Lord and Lady Lennox, the Marchioness of Bristol, the Duke of Richmond and Countess Beauchamp. He painted by command many members of the Royal Family, including Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice.
Radnorshire Fine Arts Ltd has dated this Victorian Oil Sketch Panel to the 1850s.
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A Journey to Ireland Oil Sketches on Panel Signed and Dated 1851
