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Description Sir Oswald Birley
1880 - 1952
Portrait of Cecil Marcus Knatchbull-Hugessen, 4th Baron Brabourne and 13th Baronet (1863-1933)
signed and dated lower right: Oswald Birley/1922
oil on canvas
74.3 x 59 cm.
Condition Report The canvas is unlined. There is a pattern of paint separation throughout, most notably to the background. There is cracking associated with the upper and left stretcher bar. There is a small square area of finer craquelure to the lower left corner.
UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There is an opaque layer of varnish and some fluorescing to the brown coat – notably some strokes to the right sleeve, a spot on the left shoulder and an area to the lower right underneath the button however this appears to be pigment. There are some minor areas of old infilling to the paint separation.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Literature Catalogue of Portraits, 1920 (corrected in 1924), no. 111;
H. Avray Tipping, ‘Mersham le Hatch’,?
Country Life, 8 August 1925,?p. 220.
Provenance A gift from the artist.
Notes The Hon. Cecil Knatchbull-Hugessen?was the unanticipated?heir to both the Barony created for his father and the Knatchbull Baronetcy. After a successful career at the Bar and in his mid-fifties he became 4th Lord Brabourne and the 13th Knatchbull Baronet. He was the son of 1st Lord Brabourne, Edward Knatchbull, the politician and author, the younger brother of the 2nd?and, uncle of the 3rd, who was killed in action in the 1st World War.?The death of his cousin Sir Wyndham Knatchbull, who?had no children, in 1917 resulted in him becoming?Sir Cecil Knatchbull, 13th Baronet and inheriting Mersham le Hatch.
Born in 1863 he was educated?at Eton and King's College Cambridge. He was a?scholar, being?awarded the Pitt?Scholarship, and a fine cricketer, getting his Blue at Cambridge and later playing for his home county, Kent. After practicing the law he later went into business and became Chairman of Consolidated Goldfields of South Africa.
He married?Helena the daughter of the Imperial Chancellor in Vienna Hermann von Flesch Brunningen.