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Portrait of Catherine Gandy, née Hyde (1811-88)
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SM XP33. ©Sir John Soane's Museum, London. Photo: Art UK
Thomas Gandy (1806 - 1877)
Portrait of Catherine Gandy, née Hyde (1811-88)
c.1838
Oil on canvas
Height: 72.2cm, sight size
Width: 59.5cm
Width: 59.5cm
Museum number: XP33
Not on display
Curatorial note
The donor, Rosalie Gandy, presented this as a work by Henry Gandy; however, Henry is not a Gandy family name and it is now thought that this was a mistaken identification and that the painting is by Thomas Gandy, the only son of Joseph Michael Gandy to reach adulthood, who attempted to make a living as a portrait painter.
Thomas and Catherine Gandy are thought to have married in 1837 or early 1838; it seems likely that if not portraits painted to mark the marriage these date from relatively early in their marriage.
Thomas and Catherine Gandy are thought to have married in 1837 or early 1838; it seems likely that if not portraits painted to mark the marriage these date from relatively early in their marriage.
Provenance
This picture passed down through the Gandy family; on the death of John R.K.W. Gandy, the great great grandson of Joseph Michael Gandy, in 1996, his widow Mrs Jill Gandy placed the portrait on long term loan at Sir John Soane's Museum; in 2008 she and her son William presented it to the Museum as a gift. There are three versions known: a larger oil on canvas sold at Christie's 2 March 1928, probably the portrait exhibited by Pickersgill at the RA in 1822 (no. 189); a pencil study on paper in the NPG (NPG 5701: their online cat entry says this was exhibited in 1822 but it seems unlikely that this pencil version as the one exhibited) and this version. It has been speculated that this picture may be the half-length portrait sold in Pickersgill's posthumous studio sale at Christie's 17 July 1875, lot 327 - which someone later found its way back to the Gandy family. The Christie's copy of the sale catalogue records lot 327 as having been purchased for £3.10s by 'Cox'.
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