English School, 1740s

By descent from the sitter to the present owner.

The ornate blue and white beaker vase at left of this portrait can be dated to the later Kangxi reign period (1662–1722), around 1720. Vases of this type were produced in China for export and later sold on the Continent. The vessel's prominence within this composition is certainly unusual and must indicate that the sitter had a penchant for such objects.

Richard Windle and his wife, Anne Eykin (1746–1786), hailed from Shropshire. The Windles and the Eykins seem to have combined rural, landowning roots with a foothold in London and its trade. It is tempting to connect Richard with Maydwell and Windle: the well-respected glassmakers to the King, who also dealt in porcelain. The firm operated from the Kings Arms on the Strand.