Sir Thomas Lawrence PRA 1769-1830
Provenance
Provenance: Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A. (1769-1830); his sale (+), [A Catalogue of the Remaining Part of the Valuable Collection of Modern Drawings, a few Paintings, a Set of Cartoons by L. da Vinci... The Property of Sir Thomas Lawrence, Late President of the Royal Academy], Christie's, London, 19 June 1830, lot 423, 'A study of three Heads of Children. Sir Thomas Lawrence, when painting these, seems to have had in his mind the admired picture of Cherubs by Sir Joshua Reynolds; to which indeed, it is worthy of being the companion.' (121 gns. to the following) John Angerstein (1773-1858), and by descent to his son, William Angerstein, Weeting Hall, Norfolk; his sale, Christie's, London, 4 July 1896, lot 118, as 'Miss Boucheret and her two sisters' (430 gns. to Stewart); Christie's, London, 4 December 2012, lot 46; Private Collection, UK.
Literature
W. Armstrong, Lawrence, London, 1913, p. 116, as 'probably the "Three Heads of Children - Study in imitation of Sir Joshua" - which was bought by J. Angerstein for 121 gs. at the Lawrence sale in 1830.' K. Garlick, Sir Thomas Lawrence: A complete catalogue of the oil paintings, Oxford, 1989, p. 295, no. 892, as 'Heads of Angels'.
These beautifully observed sketches are preparatory studies for one of Lawrence's most celebrated group portraits: The children of Ayscoghe Boucherett (1799-1800; Paris, Musée du Louvre). The sitters are Emilia Mary Boucherett (1790-1874) and her younger sisters, Juliana (d. 1861) and Maria (1797-1867), the three daughters of Ayscoghe Boucherett (1755-1815), M.P. for Great Grimsby, and his wife Emilia Crockatt (1761-1837). The latter was the step-daughter of John Julius Angerstein, the wealthy financier whose collection of Old Master paintings was purchased by the British government in 1824 and became the nucleus of the London National Gallery. It was through Angerstein, one of Lawrence's key patrons and supporters from his earliest days in London, that the artist established a close friendship with the family of the present sitters.