Samuel Dottin and his brother Abel Rous Dottin

Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769 - 1830)

The Holburne Museum

circa 1783-4

Thomas Lawrence arrived in Bath in 1780, the eleven year old youngest son of an innkeeper. His father encouraged him to entertain his fashionable guests by making portrait sketches, usually in profile. Lawrence was only about 14 or 15 when he drew these portraits, like the boys they depict. It is possible he met the brothers while at school in Bristol. The friendship between Lawrence and the Dottins must have continued into adulthood as there are several other later portraits of Abel Dottin and his wife and family. These are the first two works by Lawrence to enter the collection at Holburne Museum.

• Medium: graphite on paper
• Dimensions: each: 24 x 19cm
• Art Fund Grant: £4000 ( Total: £16,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2008
• Vendor: Ben Elwes Fine Art

Provenance

Private collection; Sworder's fine art auctioneers, 2005; Ben Elwes Fine Art. These works have been vetted by the Art Loss Register in 2007.

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