After Sir Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723-1792)

Portrait of Omai
mezzotint
credited Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds (lower left), Engraved by John Jacobi (lower right) and Published Sepr. 1st 1780, by John Boydell, Engraver, in Cheapside, London (lower center)
25 x 15 1/4 inches (sheet).

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

Note:

Omai was a Polynesian visitor from the island of Raiatea who sailed to England with the Royal Navy in 1774. Omai was much celebrated by London society, who viewed him as an exotic figure. Omai met King George III, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Frances Burney and other prominent English figures during his stay.

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.

Some foxing and discoloration to the paper commensurate with age. Scattered instances of discoloration to the matting. Not examined out of frame.

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Please contact the Auction Specialist for details.

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.

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European Furniture and Decorative Arts

After Sir Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723-1792)

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