John Hoppner
Portrait of Ann Anguish wearing a White Dress, Red Sash and White Turban
Oil on canvas (relined). 76.5 x 63.5 cm (oval composition).
With remnants of an old, hand-written label on the back of the stretcher listing information about the life of Ann Anguish: "Nat: May 8 1765 / ob: July 18 1826".
Ann Anguish was born in 1765, the daughter of Thomas Anguish of Hanwell and Sarah Henley of Leigh and Sandringham Hall. Her elder sister Catherine married the 5th Duke of Leeds in 1788 and thereby became Duchess of Leeds. Ann Anguish, on the other hand, remained unmarried and died in 1826. The present portrait was painted by the English painter and art critic John Hoppner. The son of Bavarian immigrants, Hoppner grew up at the British royal court and had the best connections to high society. He painted portraits for members of the high nobility as well as the royal family and was appointed "Portrait Painter to the Prince of Wales" in 1793, succeeding Joshua Reynolds.
Provenance
Sotheby's, London, 13.7.1988, lot 172. – The Dr. Gustav Rau collection. – Bonhams (The Rau UNICEF Sale), London, 5.12.2013, lot 15. – Italian private collection.
Literature
William R. McKay and William Roberts: John Hoppner R.A., London 1909, p. 329