Lot 305
Lawrence, Sir Thomas (1769-1830) English painter. Famed for his pencil portraits, by the age of 12 he had his own studio in Bath. Patronized by King George III, knighted in 1815, he succeeded Benjamin West as President of the Royal Academy from 1820.
Autograph Letter Signed. Five pages, Octavo, recto/verso, on gray bond, London, November 3, 1826. An interesting letter concerning a design for a Royal medal that the artist has been commissioned to execute for the King. Written at the end of his career, when his sight was failing and Lawrence was finding it difficult to work at night, he writes to the well-known lexicographer Peter Roget apologizing for a delay in finishing his design:
"My dear Sir, I regret most sincerely that the medal cannot be delivered when the award is announced, but I pledge myself to place the design in your hands… in sufficient time for its receiving the sanction of the King before the 30th….the fact of its having been prepared and presented to His Majesty, will…justify the public award of it by Sir Humphry Davy…." Humphry Davy was the eminent chemist remembered as the discoverer of nitrous oxide.
Estimated Value $200 - 300.
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| Realized $173 |
