SIR WILLIAM ORPEN (BRITISH 1878-1931), PORTRAIT... Lot n° 16

SIR WILLIAM ORPEN (BRITISH 1878-1931) PORTRAIT OF MRS. ARTHUR GIBBS WITH A JADE NECKLACEOil on canvasSigned (upper left)78 x 63cm (30½ x 24¾ in.)Painted in October 1921.Provenance:The sitterThence by descent to the present ownersExhibited:London, Royal Academy, 1922, no. 34Literature:P. G. Konody & S. Dark, Sir William Orpen, Artist and Man, London, 1932, p. 272Following her engagement to Arthur Gibbs in November of 1920, Barbara Trevor Williams received a very special wedding gift from her father's business partner and family friend, Eldridge R. Johnson. He wanted to commission a portrait of her by any artist of her choice. There was much debate over which artist she should sit for, but her father's previous experience sitting for Sir William Orpen, coupled with Barbara's own preference for his works, ultimately settled the matter.After her wedding, Barbara sat for Orpen on five or six occasions, building a relationship with the artist, and developing a level of trust. It was during these sessions that she confessed her pregnancy. Orpen took good care of the young lady, ensuring her comfort throughout, even taking her home in a taxi after a particularly long sitting. Upon completion, the portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in the Spring of 1922, alongside works by George Clausen and notably John Singer Sargent's Countess of Rocksavage. Despite being well received at the Academy, Orpen wasn't entirely satisfied with the final result. In 1926, Orpen wrote to Barbara, expressing his desire to correct the colour values, which he deemed to be incorrect due to his own illness at the time of painting. Barbara obliged, taking the painting to his studio for adjustments. There, she sat for him twice more as he meticulously corrected the tones of her skin, resulting in the portrait we see today.