The portraits of Anne Seymour Damer compared with (perhaps not so) Anonymous Bust by Joseph Nollekens.

 

Post in preparation.

Comparing the Anonymous Bust, here suggested as the Amateur Sculptor Anne Seymour Damer (1749 - 1828) by Joseph Nollekens (1737 – 1823) with known painted portraits of Mrs Damer by Contemporary Artists.

It is dangerous to make these comparisons - one can never be 100% sure, even with inscribed painted portraits and busts but in this instance I intend to make the case, as best as I can, that this bust is most likely a bust of Anne Seymour Damer by Joseph Nollekens sculpted in the late 1770’s or early 1780’s.

Portrait of Mrs Damer by Angelica Kaufmann

This portrait was painted in London in 1766 when the sitter was aged 16.

___________________

Comparing the bust with The Yale Centre for British Art portrait of Mrs Damer aged 24, by Sir Joshua Reynolds 1773.

This is probably the primary version – there is another “studio of portrait at the NPG in London. 

  "Ditto [a lady], half length" [1773, Royal Academy of Arts, London, exhibition catalogue]  

https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:1361

This might be wishful thinking on behalf of the Yale cataloguer.

 

The YCBA Portrait by Joshua Reynolds.

The National Portrait Gallery (London) version

-------------------------

The Uffizi Gallery, Florence self-portrait marble bust of Mrs Anne Seymour Damer.

 Presented to the Gallery by Mrs Damer in 1784 not 1778 as often repeated.

Without being too critical there is a certain generalised sameness, and a lack of definition about her portrait busts which were excused as "an adherence to the Greek style" as recommended by Joshua Reynolds.

...........................................

The Bust compared with a Miniature Portrait of Anne Seymour Damer.

She is dressed in a fanciful Elizabethan Costume initialled R C – Richard Cosway.

Height 60 mm - National Portrait Gallery - they say 1785 without providing any evidence. I suspect slightly earlier.

........................................

The possible portrait of Mrs Damer by Joshua Reynolds.

Where is it now??

The Portrait illustrated below was used on the cover of Mrs D The Life of Anne Damer 1748 - 1828 by Richard Webb pub. Brewin Books 2013.  An excellent place to start when researching Mrs Damer.

It should be read alongside Percy Nobles work of 1908 and the thesis by Benforado

 This portrait is titled "Mrs Damer dressed as Athenais in the Richmond House Players production of Theodosius" by Joshua Reynolds - 1788.

 I can find no reference to this portrait in the standard reference works on Reynolds except in the 1899 work A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynold by Algernon Graves and William Vine Cronin -available online at - https://archive.org/details/historyofworksof01grav/page/n13/mode/2up?view=theater&q=Damer

Iit is described as  Half length, canvas 29 x 24 in.

Full face ; cloak trimmed with ermine, and fastened with jewels at the sleeves ; low-necked dress ; pearls in hair.

 Sold by Henry Graves and Co., 1890, to Sir John Pender ; it was purchased at his sale by Messrs. Shepherd Bros., who sold it in 1898 to Charles Sedelmeyer, of Paris, the present owner.

 - therefore  the attribution should be treated with some caution until confirmed.

........................

The Bust compared with a miniature portrait of Mrs Damer by John Smart (1741 – 1811).

 – undated. 

Height 62 mm – 1770’s. 

Image courtesy Messrs Christie's.

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-603686

.....................

Comparing the Bust with the Portrait of Mrs Damer by George Romney -

Mrs Damer sat to Romney six times in 1779, April 21, 24, May 24, 31, June 5, and 9th. 

She was aged 30. 

For me this and the Reynolds portraits are probably the most convincing visual evidence.

.......................

A Crop from the Waldegrave Portrait of Horace Walpole and Mrs Damer 

by Nathaniel Dance Holland. C. 1775 – 1780.

Note the shape of the ear.

__________________

The Schiavonetti Stipple Engraving.

undated.

after Richard Cosway (1742 - 1821).

Proof before letters 1791. 

I have been unable to locate the original drawing but suspect it was probably completed some 10 years earlier.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1875-0814-1243 for another later version see https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200251616

Richard Cosway.

He was baptised in Devon, November 5, 1742 and died London, July 4, 1821.

 Cosway is best known for his miniatures and drawings, as well as his connections to the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and fashionable Georgian society.

From the 1760s through the 1770s he exhibited consistently at the Society of Arts, the Free Society of Artists, and the Royal Academy. 

By 1785 he began to sign his works Primarius Pictor Serenissimi Walliae Principis ("Principal painter to his most serene Prince of Wales"). 

He also collected Old Master paintings, drawings, and decorative art objects, which were sold at his death by his wife, Maria, who was also an artist.

___________________

Comparing the Bust with another undated Cosway sketch of Mrs Damer in the Huntington Library. 

Pencil wash and Gouache

12.1 x 7.6cm

https://emuseum.huntington.org/objects/324/anne-seymour-damer?ctx=b7374cc6d617e9479e0716e85ca7b091420c58e0&idx=2

It should perhaps be pointed out that in my opinion Cosway uses the device of slightly enlarging the eyes in his female portraits in order to make them appear more appealing. 

This sketch or a version of it was probably that used to create the Schiavonetti stipple engraving (above).

_________________

Comparing the anonymous marble bust with the Packington Hall marble bust of Louisa Thynne (d.1832) wife of the 4th Earl of Aylesford. 

by Joseph Nollekens.

Signed and Dated 1784 (this needs to be confirmed).

I am very grateful to Lady Guernsey for providing me with these photographs

The Biographical Dictionary of British Sculptors, Pub Yale. 2009 say the bust of Louisa was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1784.

A version of the Nollekens bust of  the  Lady Aylesford was offered for sale lot 23, 3 July 1823 at the Nollekens sale. The Catalogue does not make clear the material.

Currently the position of the bust, on top of a doorcase at Packington make photography rather difficult – I have an invitation to visit Packington in early 2025.

........................

The Paul Mellon Photographic Archive Image of Louisa Thynne.

When searching for images of Nollekens busts using the eared support to the socle I came across this image which more or less confirmed the attribution of the (so far until then anonymous) bust to Nollekens. 

Comparisons with how the socle and eared support joined the bust itself confirmed the attribution and comparisons with the hairstyle confirmed the rough dating.

............................

Louisa Thynne, Lady Aylesford.

Mezzotint Valentine Green. 

After Joshua Reynolds.