Lot 30: Attributed to Pompeo Batoni (Italian, 1708-1787) An important portrait of Prince James Francis

Edward Stuart, the 'Old Pretender' (1688-1765), wearing grey coat with gold brocade trim and buttons and ermine-lined scarlet cloak, white shirt and cravat, blue sash of the Garter and full-bottomed, powdered wig gilt-metal frame oval, 70mm. (2 3/4in.) high Provenance: Mrs. J.K.E. Stamford Collection; Sotheby's, London; 26th November, 1973, lot 68 Over the years, the present lot has previously been attributed to Veronica Telli (née Stern), Sir Robert Strange and Nicholas Dixon. It shows a very distinctive style, with strong stippling and heavy use of gum arabic. Comparison with the few miniatures known to be by Batoni (including the example sold in these rooms, possibly of Horace Walpole, 21st March 1995, lot 21) shows a very similar technique. The heavy use of gum in these examples indicates that Batoni was not used to the method of painting in watercolour on ivory. The heavy stippling is also a reflection of this, as well as a reference to the influence of Rosalba Carriera's work on ivory. In 1744, James commissioned Batoni to produce miniatures of himself, Maria Clementina Sobieska and their two sons, Charles Prince of Wales and Henry, Duke of York, 'coppid from the likest pictures'. In the event, however, Veronica Telli (1717-1807) was commissioned for this group and Batoni was left with a commission for Henry, taken from a portrait by Domenico Dupra (1689-1770). There was a mixed reaction to Telli's miniature copies and Batoni's effort was the only miniature that met with general approval. It is possible that Batoni was later asked to take other miniatures from existing oils, of which the present lot is an example. The exiled Scottish family would have been well aware of Batoni's talent and his loyal British patronage. In 1757, it is recorded that Batoni painted a portrait of James, then in old age (now lost). The head of James in this portrait appears to have been taken from the portrait by Dupra painted in 1742. The costume may relate to the portrait attributed to Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779), now in the National Portrait Gallery, London, in which he wears the same gold-edged, grey coat. This portrait by Mengs has been dated to circa 1748, a year in which Telli was again producing miniatures of James. In the exhibition catalogue, The King over the Water, Edinburgh, 2001 (p.96, fig.90), a miniature of James by Telli, painted in 1748, shows a very different painting style to the present lot. This example is hard-featured, with stylised hair and stiff drapery. Two other miniatures, this time of Charles and Henry, signed and dated by Telli, 1743 (in the collection of Lord Ancaster, Drummond Castle) show a softer style of painting, but still with stiff drapery and rather mask-like features. These examples demonstrate characteristics quite unlike the qualities of the present lot, which shows a confident handling of drapery and a particularly three-dimensional understanding of the human face.