Hugh Douglas Hamilton (Irish, 1739-1808)

Portrait of a lady in a white dress
inscribed 'Portrait in Pastel of / Madame Vigee Le Brun / by herself' on an old label verso
pastel
24 x 19cm

Although once thought to be a self-portrait by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, the present work can be conclusively attributed, based on style and composition, to Hugh Douglas Hamilton. The unusual muslin flowing from the sitter's dress give the work a historiated tone and suggest the pastel is not a conventional portrait but that the sitter depicted could be in the guise of a deity or dancer.

We are grateful to Neil Jeffares for his assistance in cataloguing this lot on the basis of photographs.

Condition Report

Pastel in excellent, clean condition with no deterioration to the pigment or damage to the paper apparent. Unexamined out of frame.

34 x 29cm framed