Attributed to William Jones, British fl.1738-1749- A... Lot 227

Attributed to William Jones, British fl.1738-1749- A lady nursing her child in an interior; oil on canvas, 77 x 63.9 cm. Provenance: Property from Hooton Pagnell Hall, Bonhams, London, 1 December 2015, lot 79. Note: Much like the works of his contemporary, William Hogarth (1697-1764), Jones's paintings often show interiors featuring elaborately dressed figures, which offer glimpses into the private lives of the people and families portrayed. Jones appears to have been particularly interested in portraying the lives of women (often without the presence of men), and the parts of women's lives that were often private or hidden from public view. The subject of the present work, which shows a woman nursing her child while looking boldly out at the viewer, is a typical example of this. The intimate setting of the subject within a dimly lit, private interior strongly recalls Jones's painting entitled 'Fortune Telling' ,which was offered at Sotheby's on 13-20 September 2023 (lot 40).