The woman with black jet tiara and earings with silk collar and dress with ruffled sleeves and pinched bodice. Exceptional period gilt carved frame. Signed by artist on reverse "Jo Medina Pinxt 1757" Sight 30" x 25" Frame 38" x 33"

From Askart: Medina was the son of a Spanish army captain posted to Brussels, where he was born and later trained by François Duchatel, before coming to London in 1686 and setting up his studio in Drury Lane. Even in London he seems to have specialized in Scottish sitters, and in either 1688-89 or 1694 he moved to Edinburgh, where he remained for the rest of his life. He was encouraged and sponsored by the Earl of Melville, who he painted in London. From 1689 Melville, like many of Medina's subjects a strong Whig, was Secretary of State for Scotland, effectively running the country for the King in London. With little competition, Medina was the most prominent Scottish portraitist for the rest of his life, charging £5 for a head and £10 for a half-length.

His best known works are a group of about 30 oval bust-lengths, including a self-portrait, in Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh; these are invariably compared to the Kit Cat Club series in London by Sir Godfrey Kneller. His style follows the conventions of Kneller, but his portraits are often more relaxed and informal, favouring relatively bright blues and rose-reds in the clothing, and dark backgrounds. The quality of the painting can vary considerably, probably reflecting the use of his assistants. In 1706 he was knighted, one of the last batch of Scottish knights to be created before the Acts of Union 1707. Medina died at Edinburgh in 1710. He trained his son and the more talented William Aikman, the leading Scottish portrait-painter of the next generation.

Wax lined overall excellent condition