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Description Enoch Seeman
Gdansk circa 1694 - 1745 London
Portrait of Elizabeth Somers (1655-1745), three-quarter length, in a white dress
inscribed centre right: Eliz Somers / Wife of Sr. Ioseph Iekel Kt
oil on canvas
126.9 x 103 cm.
Condition Report The canvas is lined and the paint surface is dirty with a slightly discoloured varnish. There is a vertical line of surface accretion in the lower part of the sitter's dress. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a thick, milky varnish making it difficult to discern previous intervention, save for possibly a handful of minor retouchings in the background. The painting appears in overall very good condition.
"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 Inventory, 1749, in the withdrawing room;
Catalogue of Portraits, 1920, no. 46;
A.T. Bolton, ‘Mersham le Hatch’,
Country Life, 26 March 1921, p. 371, photographed in the?drawing room.
Provenance By descent to the sitter's sister, Maria, who married Charles Cocks;
Thence to their only?child, Catherine, who married James Harris;
Thence to their daughter, Catherine, wife of Sir Wyndham Knatchbull, 5th Bt. (d. 1749).
Notes The sitter was the daughter of John Somers, a Worcester attorney, and his wife Catherine Ceaverne. Her elder brother was John Somers, who became a significant figure during the period when William III replaced James II as King, and later served as Lord Chancellor.
In 1697 she married Sir Joseph Jekyll (1662-1738), who became a member of the Middle Temple, the same?Inn as his brother-in-law, John Somers. It was under Somers’ aegis that Jekyll became M.P. for Eye in 1697, the same year that he became Chief Justice of Chester. Jekyll’s legal career was distinguished, and in 1717 he was made Master of the Rolls and a Privy Councillor. He had a reputation as a man of great probity and high moral standards.