Daughter of Florence Poulett and Thomas Smyth of Ashton Court, with her Black Page
Artist: circle of Gilbert Jackson (active 1621 - 1640)
Location: Red Lodge
Date: circa 1640
Materials: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 84 x 66cm
Grant:
Amount Paid: £12,000 (Total: £48,000)
Vendor: Weiss Gallery
Provenance:
By descent in the Smyth family of Ashton Court Mansion, Somerset; Sir Greville Upton-Smyth; Dame Emily Smyth, 1901; the Hon. Mrs Esme Smyth, 1914; John E Pritchard & Co, 1947;...;Christie's, London 1991; Weiss Gallery; Frederick W Hughes, New York; Weiss Gallery, 2001. The work has been vetted by the Art Loss Register and LSAD.
Description:
The portrait is of a young girl, thought to be a member of the Smyth family who rose to prominence in Bristol as merchants in the 16th century. The presence of the black page makes this portrait especially interesting as there is no other known image of an African in Bristol at this early date. The Smyth family were merchants but the boy is not necessarily a slave. Black servants were fashionable at the time and are shown in a small number of portraits. This work will be moved to the new Museum of Bristol when it opens.
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