Portrait of Charles Stewart, Lord Linton, later 7th Earl of Traquair

John Smart (1741–1811), London, by around 1783–1811;

By descent to his son, John James Smart (1805–1870), London, 1811–1870;

By descent to his daughter, Mary Ann Bose (née Smart, 1856–1934), Edinburgh, 1870–1934;

By descent to her son, William Henry Bose (1875–1957), London, 1934–1937;

Purchased from his sale, Sketches and Studies for Miniature Portraits by John Smart, Christie’s, London, February 15, 1937, lot 10, as Portrait of Lord Linton, Probably Charles Stuart, Later 8th and Last Earl of Traquair, by Smith, 1937 [1];

John H. Burls, New Malden, Surrey, by March 31, 1949 [2];

Purchased from his sale, Fine Portrait Miniatures, Sotheby’s, London, March 31, 1949, lot 46, as A Man, by Leggatt Brothers, London, probably on behalf of Mr. John W. (1905–2000) and Mrs. Martha Jane (1906–2011) Starr, Kansas City, MO, 1949–1958 [3];

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

Notes

[1] According to the lot description, “Portrait of Lord Linton, probably Charles Stuart [sic?], later 8th and last Earl of Traquair, in green coat and pink vest.” Smith bought lot 10 for £12.

[2] The 1949 sale was “The Property of J. H. Burls, Esq., New Malden, Surrey.” There was a John H. Burls of 11 Ancaster Crescent, New Malden, Surrey, listed in Leathergoods 103–04 (1968): 88.

[3] According to the lot description, “A Miniature of a Man, by John Smart, painted on paper in soft colours with great skill, head and gaze three-quarters dexter, pink vest and pale green tunic, his hair en queue, oval, 2 in.; mounted in pearl-bordered frame, 3 in. Probably one of his many works on paper drawn while at sea and from the original family collection. [See Illustration, Plate IV].”

An annotated sale catalogue is located at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Miller Nichols Library and is likely annotated by Mr. or Mrs. Starr with a circled lot number and “Leggatt £32.” According to the attached price list, Leggatt bought lot 46 for £32. 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 illustration of lot 46 is swapped with lot 47, which depicts another portrait of a man by Smart.

Hogg assisted Mrs. Starr in purchasing a group of miniatures at this sale, including two by Smart (Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1780 and this one. See group of letters between Martha Jane Starr and Betty Hogg, undated, box 18, folder 25, Martha Jane Starr Collection, LaBudde Special Collections, University of Missouri-Kansas City.