George Whitmore

Painted on a white plaster base, this profile shows a young Regency gentleman named George Whitmore wearing a double-breasted coat, a shirt with a standing collar and a deep stock. His hair is fashionably brushed forward.

The silhouette has been neatly painted and bronzed by the master profilist John Field and is presented in the original papier-mâché frame with a gilt metal mount, decorative surround and chunky ormolu leaf hanger. These frames were made exclusively for the business by John Miers’ son, William. There are scattered spots of paint loss to the profile though these are barely visible to the naked eye. There is also a light surface scratch (about 1cm long) to the glass just to the right of the sitter’s chin.

John Field worked alongside John Miers in his studio on the Strand. Theirs was a partnership and friendship of longstanding that continued until Miers died in 1821. The business was then willed jointly to Field and Miers’s son, William, but the dynamics had clearly been altered too much as within a few years the business filed for bankruptcy. Field continued to paint profiles during the 1830s but from a studio that he now shared with his own son.