19. Francis Cotes (1726 - 1770). Portrait of His Majesty George III. Black, red and white chalk on paper.
14 1/2 x 12 inches (37 x 30.5 cm).
Provenance : Sotheby's London 24 March 1977, lot 121; With Spink and Son, London, from whom purchased 1980.
Cotes's father had been Mayor of Galway but emigrated to London in 1820. Francis was apprenticed to George Knapton c.1741, and by 1760 exhibited prolifically in the Society of Artists He worked principally in pastel and crayon but also in oils. He helped found the Royal Academy, and became a popular painter of society portraits.
est. $5000 – $8000