18th Century Portrait Of Two Children Of Wilhelmina Nisbet, The Countess Of Leven With A Parrot

Circle of Allan Ramsay (1713-1784)

Museum Quality 18th Century Portrait of Two Children of Wilhelmina Nisbet, the Countess of Leven with a Parrot

Medium: Oil on canvas

Date: Early 18th Century

Provenance: From the private art collection of a Northern English art collection and from a very fine large country Yorkshire Estate.

Private Collection, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Wellington Fine Art Dealers Glasgow.

Overall size with the frame is 155 cm x 130 cm x 10 cm and the painting measuring 127 cm x 102 cm

A beautifully composed, very large and highly decorative, museum quality, early 18th-century oil on canvas depiction of two children of Wilhelmina Nisbet, the Countess of Leven with a parrot.

The inscription "Wilh.m Nisbet, C. of Leven" refers to Wilhelmina Nisbet, the Countess of Leven. It is likely that the portrait is a portrait of two of her children, of which she had at least 8

When Wilhelmina Nisbet Countess of Leven and Melville was born in 1724, in Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, her father, Sir William Nesbit Laird of Dirleton, was 58 and her mother, Jean Bennett, was 55. She married David Leslie 6th Earl of Leven on 29 July 1747, in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 3 daughters. She lived in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1724. She died on 10 May 1798, in Monimail, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom, at the age of 74. After her marriage, Wilhelmina Nisbet was styled as Countess of Leven and Melville on 2 September 1754. 

The attribution to the circle of Allan Ramsay is based on the family's association with the artist. Ramsay painted a portrait of Lady Banff, sister of Wilhelmina, as well as Wilhelmina herself, and also painted other members of the family. Research on this work is ongoing. 

Condition report and further description:

The painting offered is of the highest quality workmanship and has been historically restored, most likely circa 1850-1900 and lined again in this period, with new stretcher bars having likely been used. The restoration has subsequently been followed with a more recent cleaning. Under UV, an extremely well-blended overpainting of the left sitter's tunic to cover his upper torso was evidently carried out in the 19th century, a typical restoration procedure during the Victorian era as it was seen as more appropriate. It is a small area and totally invisible to the eye and only visible with UV light.

The painting surface is very stable with minimal visible craquelure to the naked eye, and the canvas is in good tension. The tonality is very good with vibrant colour strength. The later 18th-19th century restored gilt frame was added probably mid-century, circa 1950's, at the time of its later conservation. A cleaning was most likely carried out by Wellington Fine Art dealers and restorers, as per the label to the verso indicating that they supplied the frame. The frame is in excellent condition.

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