Lot 79: George Morland (c.1763-1804)

Self-portrait of the artist, seated at a table outside the Bell Inn, with a dog beside him signed '[Mor]land' (lower right, on the artist's palette) oil on canvas 10 x 14 in. (25.5 x 35.5 cm.) PROVENANCE Anon. sale, Phillips, London, 7 October, 1997, lot 41. NOTES George Morland was a master of genre and rural scenes. He studied at the Royal Academy schools and was then apprenticed to his father Henry Robert Morland (1719-1797) for seven years. A precocious talent, he exhibited both drawings and oils at the Royal Academy and at the Society of Artists from an early age. Morland in his painting combined the traditions of English landscape, animal and interior painting to produce his original rustic genre scenes, which proved extremely popular with his contemporaries. This popularity was increased by the engravings after his work, many executed by his brother-in-law, William Ward. Despite his considerable success, in later life Morland often found himself either hiding from his creditors or in prison. In 1799, while on the run from his creditors, Morland was accused of being a French spy and imprisoned. He died in London on 29th October 1804. Three other self-portraits by Morland are known (see R. Walker Regency Portraits, London, 1985, vol. I, pp. 346-7): one of him aged about 15 (National Portrait Gallery, London); one of him in his studio in Paddington, with his servant Gibbs frying sausages (Nottingham, Castle Museum); and a black chalk portrait, which would appear to relate to a drawing for the present picture, which is known from the inscription on the engraving by Vivares (see R. Walker, op. cit. p. 346) 'From an Original Drawing in the possession of John Graham Esq. published by Edward Orme 1805'. A variant of the engraving with a horse instead of a pig, engraved by Gaugain, 1804, also exists.