Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are delighted to offer this superb mid eighteenth century English School portrait of Francois Dorat. The portrait is a head and shoulders study of Francois Dorat, wearing a brown coat, green and yellow striped waistcoat and a stock. He has a kindly face, with brown eyes and his hair, which is white, is pulled back and probably tied with a ribbon at the nape of his neck, as was the fashion in the mid 1700s, except for formal occasions, when wigs were still worn.

The painting is by an unknown artist, but bears family provenance, as the portrait was a present to Edmund J. Dorat, the great nephew of Francois Dorat, from his Aunt Alice. We think the name is Alice, but it might be Abie. The painting also bears another note on the bottom right, from a J. R. Dorat, which states that this is a portrait of his great, great uncle Francois Dorat, who died in 1755. Presumably J. R. Dorat is the son of Edmund.

We have done some research in the records of this country and did find an Alphonse or Alphonso Dorat, who was born in 1796, who had a son called Edmund, born in 1830. The family were listed in the Census of 1851 and Alphonse was a silk merchant. The family were obviously well to do, as they had four servants and, although they may be related to Francois, we cannot prove it, as records prior to the Census of 1841 are scanty. Oddly, they were not in the previous Census in 1841, nor is there any mention of them late in the century. There are many people with the name of Dorat in France, but also in the USA, but, looking at the clothes worn by Francois, particularly the waistcoat, do rather wonder whether he had some connection with the silk trade, as many French protestants who worked in this field as weavers etc., moved to London for the sake of their religion.

The painting is framed in a 5 1/4" ornate but understated gilt frame and slip. It will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size: 23 3/8" x 19 3/8" - 59.35cm x 49.2cm

Frame size: 34 1/4" X 30 1/4" - 86.75cm x 76.75cm

Medium: Oils on canvas

Condition: Very good. The canvas has been relined in the distant past and appears now to be clean and taut and with no visible signs of damage or craquelure. The frame is in very good condition.