Portrait of a Woman

Unknown owner, by 1950 [1];

Purchased from the unknown owner’s sale, Fine Objects of Vertu, Miniatures, Ivories, Gold Boxes, Etc., Sotheby’s, London, December 14, 1950, lot 97, as Six Plumbago Miniatures, by Leggatt Brothers, London, probably on behalf of Mr. John W. (1905–2000) and Mrs. Martha Jane (1906–2011) Starr, Kansas City, MO, December 14, 1950–1958 [2];

Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1958.

Notes

[1] In the Sotheby’s December 14, 1950, sale, “Other Properties” sold lots 53–100.

[2] Described in the sales catalogue as, “Six Plumbago Miniatures by Thomas Forster, all signed and dated between the years 1703 and 1715, the three men wearing wigs and the three ladies, probably sisters, all similarly posed, in burr-wood frames, oval, 4 1/2 in.” The annotated catalogue for this sale is located at University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Miller Nichols Library. The annotations are most likely by Mr. or Mrs. Starr. Lot 97 is annotated in pencil with “£65” written to the left of the lot number. According to an attached price list, Leggatt bought lot 97 for “£65.” Archival research has shown that Leggatt Brothers served as purchasing agents for the Starrs. See correspondence between Betty Hogg and Martha Jane Starr, May 15 and June 3, 1950, Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.

The group of six plumbagos that sold includes the three other Forsters in the Nelson-Atkins collection: Portrait of a Woman, 1704, F58-60/53.1,2; Portrait of a Cleric, 1704, F58-60/56.1,2; and Portrait of a Man, 1705, F58-60/55.1,2, as well as two now located at the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK: Portrait of a Woman, 1705, 1958.17.1 and Portrait of a Man, 1703, 1958.17.2. All are numbered 1–6 in pencil on the case back. Many thanks to Tiffany Roberts, Assistant Registrar at the Philbrook, who allowed us access to the Starr Miniatures’ object files.