Lot 239: A Self-Portrait by Thomas Baxter, circa 1816, the oval miniature portrait painted on ivory, holding

a marbled sketch book under his left arm and two paint brushes in his right hand, 6.8cm.x 5.6cm. max., an old label on the reverse inscribed 'Portrait of Baxter Painted by himself', followed by an indistinct name and address (cracked and worn) Provenance: The Rev John Wilstead. Comparison with the important portrait miniature of Lewis Weston Dillwyn, painted by Baxter in around 1816 and illustrated by John O.Wilstead, Thomas Baxter, The Swansea Years 1816-1819, p. 23, shows a strong similarity of style, especially in the treatment of the face and hands. The facial features of the sitter are not disimilar to the standing figure in Baxter's famous watercolour drawing of his father's decorating studio at Goldsmith Street, London. See W.D. John, Swansea Porcelain, illustration 68. Other images include the Flight, Barr and Barr portrait plaques of father and son illustrated by John, illustration 72A and a silhouette mug.