Lot 343: John Field (British, 1772-1848), in the Studio of John Miers A silhouette of Peter Birt, profile to the right, wearing coat, frilled cravat, pigtail wig tied with a ribbon bow

A silhouette of Peter Birt, profile to the right, wearing coat, frilled cravat, pigtail wig tied with a ribbon bow.
Painted on plaster, gilt-mounted papier-mâché frame with verre-églomisé border, the reverse with remains of Trade Label No.12 ('Double-letter') and inscribed Peter Birt Esqr Wenvoe Castle/ 1763.
Oval, 87mm (3 7/16in) high

Wenvoe Castle, built in the early 1700s had been owned by the Thomas family, an affluent and ambitious family of politicians and landscapers. The Thomas family paid the price for their extravagant lifestyle and in 1774, Wenvoe Castle passed into the hands of Peter Birt who had made his personal fortune from the coal and canals in Yorkshire. Mr Birt immediately set about dismantling the buildings on the site, rebuilding in its place a mansion house designed by Robert Adams with castellated battlements.