Group Portrait of Thomas Hesketh with his wife Martha and a Son in Grounds of Rufford, Lancashire
Sir Godfrey Kneller
- Art Funded
- 2005
- Dimensions
- 127 x 177 cm
- Art Fund grant
- £10,000 (Total: £21,600)
- Vendor
- Sotheby's
The couple had five sons and this is thought to be either the first or third son, depending on the date of the portrait. In 1724, Thomas Hesketh inherited Rufford Old Hall, family seat of the Heskeths and improved the building by adding a new section including a Dining Room where this portrait hung until about 1760. It is likely that Kneller initiated this work but was unable to complete it due to ill health; it was completed by his studio.
Provenance
By descent in the Hesketh family at Rufford Old Hall; probably moved to Easton Neston circa 1920; Easton Neston sale, Sotheby's, 2005.
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Rufford Old Hall
200 Liverpool Road, Rufford, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L40 1SG
01704 821254
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Opening times
Please visit the Rufford Old Hall website for full seasonal opening times