Lot 121: William Nicholson, R.S.A. (Ovingham, Northumberland 1784-1844 Edinburgh)

William Nicholson, R.S.A. (Ovingham, Northumberland 1784-1844 Edinburgh)
Portrait of a young girl, full-length, wearing a lace-edged dress and bonnet with peacock feather, playing with her dog in a wooded landscape, a distant view of Edinburgh beyond
oil on canvas
49¾ x 40 in. (126.5 x 101.5 cm.)

(Possibly) Edinburgh, Exhibition Society, 1814, no. 162, as 'Boy with a Newfoundland dog'.

Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 16 November 1990, lot 21.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, South Kensington, 17 July 1998, lot 44.

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William Nicholson first exhibited his work at the Royal Academy in 1808 and although he moved to Edinburgh in 1814, continued to exhibit in London until 1822. He exhibited a portrait entitled Boy with a Newfoundland dog at the Edinburgh Exhibition Society in 1814, no. 162, which may be the present picture. He is best known for his miniature and watercolour portraits of literary figures of the day. He was one of the founder members of the Royal Scottish Academy and became its first Secretary. He died in Edinburgh in 1844.