Studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A.
(British, 1723-1792)

"Portrait of William, Lord Pulteney", 1760s

oil on canvas
unsigned.
In an antique gilt-washed carved wood frame.
36" x 26-3/4"

Provenance: M. Knoedler and Company, New York, New York; A prominent Garden District collection, New Orleans, Louisiana; thence by descent.

Exhibited: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts "Four Centuries of European Painting", October 6, 1951-January 13, 1952, no. 21.

Literature: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition Catalogue "Four Centuries of European Painting", October 6, 1951-January 13, 1952, illustrated no. 21; "Four Centuries of Painting in Museum's Fair Exhibit". Dallas Morning News. September 21, 1951, p. II-7; Graves, Algernon and Cronin, William Vine. A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A. London: Henry Graves and Co., 1899. pp 775 and 776.

Notes: The sitter of this portrait, William Pulteney, was from an illustrious political family and, before his untimely death from fever, there were expectations that he would surpass his relatives in position and glory. Before the age of 30, Pulteney had twice been a Member of Parliament, achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was named a Lord of the Bedchamber, and was the Aide de Camp to King George III. It is documented that the prodigious Sir Joshua Reynolds was commissioned to paint several portraits of the young man, including one where he is posed with his beloved hunting dog. A portrait of Pulteney by Reynolds is conserved at the Cincinnati Art Museum in Ohio.