Images: www.ragoarts.com.

Although auction houses have stated this is by Annie, there is no firm evidence or provenancial information given. I have therefore classified it as an ‘attributed’ on this web site.

• Media: Oil on panel with gold leaf.
• Dimensions: 280 x 430 mm (0.12 m²), Christie’s 1990; 286 x 483 mm (0.14 m²), Sotheby’s 2003; 279 x 432 mm (0.12 m²), Rago Arts (unframed); average 282 x 449 mm (0.12 m²).
• History: auctioned Christie’s, London, 15 Jun 1990, “Oil/panel, with gold leaf,” sold; auctioned Sotheby’s, New York, 11 Dec 2003, “The Collecting Eye of Seymour Stein“, unsold; auctioned David Rago (Rago Arts), Lambertville, New Jersey, 20 Jan 2018, “Property from the Collection of Seymour Stein, Founder, Sire Records / Painting is under glass with a slight warp to the board. There are several nicks with losses along edge of the board where it meets the frame. Minor inpainting scattered throughout (mostly in the body of the figure) and visible under blacklight. The gold paint has cracked in several areas and is separating. The gold area in the center above the figure’s head is flaking with losses,” sold.
• Location: unknown.

Annie exhibited a “Portrait of a boy,” in London in 1893, but there is not enough descriptive detail in the sources to identify it as this work. [See Exhibited works (1873-1940)].

IF THE OWNER of this work happens to read this page, I’d be delighted if they contacted me with any information they have. Even details of the framing, labels or marks on the back could give clues to it’s history. All communications are kept in strictest confidence and no personal information about the ownership or location of works in private collections is ever displayed on this web site. Jonathan Russell swynnerton.blog@gmail.com.

There is an essay on this work at artpaintingartist.org (and archived here), and a discussion about the unusual nature of the work here.

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