Rosebery's London
At first sight, the drawing that an antiques enthusiast in Hudson, New York, rescued from a dumpster seemed too “interesting and old” to leave in the garbage. A little research indicated that the enthusiast was right: the sketch appeared to be the work of George Romney, an English portrait painter who lived from 1734 to 1802. It went to Roseberys auction house in London, where it sold in the Old Master, British, and European Pictures auction on March 12 for £2,362, or $3,055, nearly three times its high estimate.
“This sketch by George Romney has had such a remarkable journey, from being salvaged from a dustbin in upstate New York, to being offered at Roseberys in South London, before finding its way to a buyer in Malaysia,” Lara L’vov-Basirov, Head of Old Master, British & European Pictures at Roseberys, said in a press release. “Despite its modest size, this work on paper achieved a price well above estimate, reflecting both its art historical importance and its extraordinary story.”
The sketch, done in pen and black ink on paper, is called “Sketch of a lady, traditionally identified as Henrietta, Countess of Warwick, seated with her arm outstretched.” It is mounted on a card and stamped “G. Romney.” A handwritten note on the back identifies the sitter. It is believed to be a preparatory sketch for Romney’s painting “Henrietta, Countess of Warwick, and Her Children,” which is in the Frick Collection in New York.
The Frick Collection
Art historian Alex Kidson, who works with the Romney Society in Romford, England, and is the author of a 2015 catalogue raisonné for the artist, confirmed that the sketch was the work of George Romney. However, he raised the possibility that it was for a different portrait of the Countess, whose family, the Grevilles, were friends and patrons of Romney’s. Kidson suggested that the sketch could be a study for a portrait that has since been lost and is only known today as an engraving.
Even if the painting the sketch prepared for is positively identified, one more mystery surrounds the sketch. In the words of its discoverer, “After taking it home and doing some research, I couldn’t believe it – how did this mid-18th century drawing from England end up in the trash in upstate New York?”
That mystery might never be solved, but it makes a fantastic story.
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