WHYTE'S IMPORTANT IRISH ART 28 November 2022 at 6pm

30 14 Sir John Lavery RA RSA RHA (1856-1941) A LADY IN BROWN (THOUGHT TO BE MISS MARGARET EDITH BANNATYNE), 1905 oil on canvas signed and dated lower right 29.50 by 23.50in. (74.9 by 59.7cm) Frame Size: 37 by 31.5in. (94 by 80cm) Provenance: Mark Bannatyne Esq; to Margaret Edith Bannatyne, later Mrs Margaret Edith Bannatyne Cobb; Thence by descent; Bonhams, 3 April 1997, lot 25; Private collection; Adam’s, 28 May 1997, lot 89A; Private collection Although many Lavery portraits are easily identifiable, there are occasions when recorded commissions cannot be matched to extant works. We can nevertheless be fairly certain that A Lady in Brown represents Margaret Edith Bannatyne, the daughter of Mark Bannatyne, a wealthy senior partner in Bannatyne, Kirkwood and Co, one of the oldest and most respected firms of Glasgow solicitors. (1) Bannatyne was known in artistic circles during the Edwardian period as the administrator of the Haldane Academy scholarships awarded to students at Glasgow School of Art. He would have been well aware of Lavery’s pre-eminence among artists of the Glasgow School since he had painted the impressive Modern Glasgow mural of 1899-1901, in the City Chambers (Glasgow’s City Hall). In 1904 he commissioned Lavery to paint Edith’s elder sister, Kathleen, (Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow) and we can only assume that so satisfactory was the result, the second commission was booked. (2) Lavery was of course renowned for his ‘ladies in brown’, one of which was awarded the gold medal at the first Carnegie Institute International Exhibition in 1896. Many others followed - including those of his wife, Hazel - almost to the point that although they became a sort of signature, they offered, within a restricted range of Old Master tones, the opportunity, as here, to explore character and personality in depth. Prof Kenneth McConkey 1. Bannatyne, Kirkwood and Co, now Bannatyne, Kirkwood, France and Co, was founded in 1785. The Bannatyne descendants are no longer directly connected to the firm. I am grateful to Robert Taylor, senior partner at BKF & Co, for checking their records on my behalf. We have however established that the last Bannatyne descendant died the year before the present portrait was consigned to Bonhams in 1997. Sadly, Bonhams records, due to the fact that it was merged with Phillips around this time, no longer exist. 2. This is confirmed by a note in the artist’s picture register, where it is referred to as Miss Bannatyne (in Brown). For this reason, the present title, A Lady in Brown, has been proposed. I am grateful to the present owners for their diligent research into Margaret Edith Bannatyne Cobb’s family records. Although Bonhams is unable to confirm the identity of the consigner in 1997, the picture appears, nevertheless, to have come from a deceased estate directly connected to the Bannatyne succession. €10,000-€15,000 (£8,620-£12,930 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot14