Circle of Francis Wheatley, RA, British 1747-1801- Portrait... Lot 198

Circle of Francis Wheatley, RA, British 1747-1801- Portrait of a lady, standing, full-length, wearing a bonnet with pink ribbons and holding a book of sheet music; watercolour on paper, oval, 35.4 x 25.6 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Note: The present work exhibits the soft and sensitive handling which defines Wheatley's watercolours, with the delicate hatching in the background and the folds and subtle pinstripe of the sitter's dress recalling Wheatley's drawing entitled 'The Miniature', which is currently in the British Museum collection [1887,1010.13]. The present enigmatic portrait depicts an unknown sitter who holds a book of sheet music open to the viewer, suggesting that she may well be a singer, musician or performer.