John Vanderbank

Sir John Charles Peniston Milbanke, 11th Bt (1902–1947), Halnaby Hall, Croft-on-Tees, near Northallerton;

By whom sold ('The Property of Sir John Milbanke, Bart.'), London, Christie's, 7 December 1928, lot 120 (as J. Vanderbanck), for 13 guineas;

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby’s, 13 July 1994, lot 34 (as John Vanderbank), for £2,900, to ‘Marylebone & Ge’;

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 10 November 1995, lot 76A (as John Vanderbank), for £2,800;

Where acquired.

It has been suggested that the sitter may be the English architect, furniture designer and painter, William Kent. There is a facial likeness between this portrait and a portrait by William Aikman in the National Portrait Gallery,¹ as well as a miniature of Kent, in the manner of William Prewett, sold in these Rooms on 4 April 2002, lot 9. Furthermore, the sitter is depicted in a wigcap, conveying a level of informality that is often encountered in artist portraits of the period, although the absence of artistic or architectural attributes inhibits a definitive identification.

¹ Inv. no. NPG 6063; oil on canvas, 197.1 x 103.9 cm.