Attributed to Sir Peter Lely, Late 17th Century

Portrait of John Blow
oil on canvas
29 x 18 inches.

Property from the Collection of Maestro Raymond Leppard, Indianapolis, Indiana

Provenance:

Presented to Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley (1825-1889) by George R. Powell, 1867 (labeled verso)

J. Manley, London (labeled verso)

Probably acquired from Philip Mould, London

Exhibited:

Worcester Exhibition, 1882

Albert Hall, Collection of Musicians, 1885

Music Loan Exhibition, 1904

(reference Historical Portraits Image Library, Philip Mould & Co.)

Note:

John Blow (English, 1649-1708) was a Baroque composer and the organist of Westminster Abbey, a post he resigned in 1679 in favor of his pupil Henry Purcell, but resumed it again on Purcell's death in 1695, holding the office until 1708. In 1685 he was appointed a private musician to James II. In 1687 he became Choirmaster at St. Paul's Cathedral, and in 1699 he was appointed Composer to the Chapel Royal. His Venus and Adonis is the earliest known English opera, written for the Court of King James II. He wrote anthems for the coronations of King James II, King William III and Queen Anne, together with many odes, songs, sacred and instrumental works.

Maestro Raymond Leppard (1927-2019), Commander of the British Empire, was an internationally recognized composer, conductor and scholar of Baroque music, as well as a Grammy-winning recording artist. Born in London, Leppard grew up in Bath where he was educated at the City of Bath Boys’ School, now the Beechen Cliff School. He studied harpsichord and viola at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he would go on to become Lecturer and Fellow before making his debut at Wigmore Hall in London in 1952. He also helped establish and was long associated with the English Chamber Orchestra.

Leppard’s realizations of 17th century operas by Italian composers Claudio Monteverde and his disciple, Francesco Cavalli, re-introduced the world to these and other Baroque operas. His brilliant arrangements for their modern stage productions in the 1960s and 1970s were widely acclaimed and, thus, forged his imprint on the classical music industry. He conducted Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the world premiere of Nicholas Maw’s Rising of the Moon at Glyndebourne Opera, and composed film scores for, among others, Peter Brook’s Lord of the Flies, based on the novel by William Golding. As a prolific recording artist, Leppard recorded more than 200 albums. He has appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan and San Francisco Operas, and in Paris, Hamburg, Santa Fe, Stockholm and Geneva. Leppard was principal conductor for the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra for over seven years, and, more recently, led the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) from 1987 to 2001. Leppard is credited with transforming the ISO into an internationally recognized ensemble, becoming the organization’s first and only Conductor Laureate.

Beyond Leppard’s musical genius, his warm character, generous heart and good humor endeared him to the likes of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Benjamin Britten, Frederica Von Stade, Dame Janet Baker and members of the infamous Bloomsbury Group. WFMT, Chicago’s classical music radio station, dedicated every August 11, his birthday, as Raymond Leppard Day, on which they broadcast several of his recordings. Leppard amassed an eclectic collection of works of art, music and 18th and 19th century furniture, many of which are featured throughout this auction.

The provenance of the work is not known. The sitter is said to be John Blow based on what the consignor was told about the picture. It was probably purchased from Philip Mould in London, since an image of the work appears in their online archive (although it is pictured flipped horizontally, it is certainly the same painting). Canvas is lined; craquelure throughout, some scratches in the surface at the upper right corner, re-varnished in the 20th century. Scuffs with white-ish residue at the edges of the left side. Examination under UV light does not reveal obvious overpainting, but confirms the later varnish.

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Corbin Horn

Vice President, Head of Department, European Furniture & Decorative Arts

corbinhorn@freemansauction.com 312.334.4214

Mr. Horn joined the firm in 2009 and has directed numerous sales of important collections, including those of Lilly Pulitzer, Lord Anthony and Lady Jacobs, Lars Bolander, Casa de Sueños in Miami Beach, and Villa Massei in Lucca, Italy. He has also achieved record results for consignments from prominent institutions, including the Toledo Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Minnesota Historical Society. Mr. Horn is a member of the Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago and is an alumnus of the Attingham Trust.

Mike Intihar

Senior Director, Appraisals & Valuations, Midwest

mikeintihar@hindmanappraisals.com 312 280 1212

Mike Intihar is the Senior Director of Appraisals & Valuations, Midwest at Hindman Appraisals.

Mr. Intihar joined the firm in 1997, and he has expertise in 18th, 19th and early 20th-century Continental, English and American decorative arts and furniture. Mr. Intihar appraises and catalogues approximately 6,000 objects annually for auction and appraisal purposes, and he performs onsite appraisals at various appraisal fairs and events throughout the year. He attends international antique trade shows to assess the global demand for objects handled at auction and retail. Prior to working at Hindman, Mr. Intihar was a senior administrator for Sotheby’s, Chicago, and he began his career at Wolf’s Fine Art Auctioneers in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ben Fisher

Managing Director, Furniture and Decorative Arts

benfisher@freemansauction.com 312.447.3270

Mr. Fisher rejoined the firm in 2019 after working as a specialist in the American Furniture and Folk Art department at Sotheby’s New York. His areas of expertise include 18th, 19th, and 20th century American, Continental, and English furniture, decorative and folk art. Before coming to Hindman in 2013, Mr. Fisher worked in European Furniture and Decorative Arts in Philadelphia. He began his career working for a prints dealer focusing on works from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

Please email for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

European Furniture and Decorative Arts

Attributed to Sir Peter Lely, Late 17th Century

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