London - A pair of charming portraits of a flower girl and watercress girl by Johann Joseph Zoffany (1733-1810) triumphed at Bonhams Old Master Paintings sale on Wednesday 4 December at New Bond Street, London. Following competitive bidding in the room and on the phones, the paintings, both oil on canvas and sold as companion pieces, achieved £991,000, more than triple their original estimate of £300,000-500,000. The sale achieved more than £1.6 million in total with 97% sold by value.

Lisa Greaves, Head of Bonhams' Old Master Paintings Department, commented, "It was no surprise that these exquisite works commanded significant interest. Both portraits have been in a private family collection since the 19th century and are in remarkable condition. Zoffany was a master portrait painter; his sitters are full of expression and character and his work is rich in decorative detail. We are absolutely delighted with this result."

Johann Zoffany is known primarily as a painter of portraits, conversation pieces and theatrical subjects. A German neoclassical artist, he was active mainly in England, Italy and India. His father was a master craftsman, and he was brought up at the court of Alexander Ferdinand, Prince von Thurn und Taxis where he absorbed both a classical education and the manners of a courtier. Zoffany arrived in England around 1760, and it was the patronage of the actor-manager David Garrick that launched his career in England. Garrick was delighted by Zoffany's ability to capture the dramatic effects and fleeting details of a theatrical performance and in 1762 commissioned Zoffany to paint four conversation pieces of the Garrick household, which brought the artist to the attention of the public and, more importantly, Queen Charlotte, who along with George III became a significant patron, securing his commercial and financial success.

The Watercress Girl – a skill for detail

The Watercress Girl was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1780, the same year that Zoffany also exhibited the Tribuna, now in the Royal Collection and one of the most celebrated paintings of 18th century taste. It was the first time the Royal Academy show had been held in a purpose-built space, in its new home in William Chambers' Somerset House. A reviewer of the day said, 'The artist has been very fortunate in a choice of a most beautiful girl for his subject and he has copied nature so exactly, that it is not easy to determine whether it is real life painting or not.' Zoffany's model for the painting was a young girl called Jane Wallis.

It was around this time (1785) that the engraver, John Young, scraped his mezzotints of the two portraits. The original paintings were in the collection of the MP Jacob Wilkinson, a Director of the East India Company, and a champion of Zoffany's work. Importantly, he supported Zoffany's request to the East India Company to travel to India. Wilkinson's portrait by Zofffany hangs at Chequers, the official second home of the serving prime minister.

Zoffany's works appears in many prominent collections, including the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery and the Royal Collection, as well as institutions in continental Europe, India, the United States and Australia.

Other highlights in the Old Master Paintings sale included:

• Leonardo Guzzardi (active Italy, 1798-1800), Portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson, full length, wearing naval full-dress uniform with the sash of the Order of the Bath, on deck with naval engagement behind sold for £94,380, more than 15 times its estimate of £6,000-8,000.

• English follower of Antonio Canal, called il Canaletto (Venice 1697-1768), The Bucintoro returning to the Molo on Ascension Day, Venice sold for £63,900 (estimate £40,000-£60,000).

• Attributed to Jacques-Laurent Agasse (Geneva 1767-1849 London), Portrait of an officer of a British Hussar Regiment, three-quarter-length, in uniform, unframed sold for £48,640, more than 8 times the estimate of £6,000-8,000.

4 December 2024