Silhouette Portrait of Sir Gilbert Elliott
watercolor on laid paper
the reverse with illustrated accolade
housed in a paint-decorated frame
Diameter 6 1/2 inches.

This portrait likely depicts Sir Gilbert Elliott, 3rd Baronet, of Minto (1722-1777), a Scottish statesman, philosopher, and poet. He studied at the University of Utrecht, where he befriended Enlightenment philosopher David Hume. Later, Elliott served as a Member of Parliament for Selkirkshire (1753-1765) and Roxburghshire (1765-1777). He inherited the Baronetcy from his father in 1766 and also held posts of Lord of the Admiralty (1765), Keeper of the Signet in Scotland (1767), and Treasurer of the Navy (1777).

A near identical example of this portrait was auctioned by Phillips in 2000, before which it was included in the Ketteringham Hall Sale, 1947. As the Phillips catalogue indicates, Harrington occasionally produced silhouettes painted on paper, as opposed to her usual cut-paper technique.