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Description Sir Oswald Birley
1880 - 1952
Portrait of Lady Doreen Browne, Wife of 5th Baron Brabourne (1894-1939), three-quarter length seated on a green window seat
later signed and dated lower left:?Oswald Birley/1927 and signed and?inscribed with the artist's address and the name of the sitter on an old label attached to the frame
oil on canvas
127 x 102 cm.
Condition Report The canvas is unlined and the original canvas is providing a stable structural support. The canvas is loose and would benefit from being re-stretched. There is a discoloured varnish and layer of dirt and dust.
UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There is an opaque layer of varnish and there are broad strokes that flouresce to the sitter's face, possibly retouching. They also have a pale appearance in natural light.
"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, no. 83.
Provenance A gift from the artist as a wedding present.
Notes Lady Doreen Knatchbull, as she was when this elegant portrait was painted, was the daughter of the Marquess of Sligo, the wife of the Hon. Michael Knatchbull (later 5th Lord Brabourne), and mother of two young sons, Michael and John. She was one of four children born to Lord Sligo and his wife Agatha Hodgson: her brother Ulrick, and two sisters who would become The Countess Stanhope and Mrs Moyra Campbell. After their marriage the Knatchbulls moved to Mersham le Hatch taking over the running of the estate and?modernising the house. This is celebrated in the Country Life article by Avray Tipping published in August?1925. Here for the first time in print the achievements of the family and their patronage of?Robert Adam and Chippendale are described in depth and photographed. In typical fashion though the author and photographer rearranged the furniture to meet with their idea of how Adam might have imagined it. Family photographs show it as it was. In the drawing room this fine portrait of the chatelaine presided over the room with its comfortable furniture and vitrines of porcelain.?
In 1933 Lady Brabourne?accompanied her husband to India. When he was made Governor of Bengal she set up?the Lady Brabourne College in Calcutta which was the first college for Muslim women in the city. This was to counter the discrimination against Muslims that was rife at Bethune College. She like her husband?was awarded the Star of India. Following his death she returned?to England overseeing the Mersham estate. Latterly?she lived?in London until her tragic death in Ireland in 1979.