Luke Sullivan 1705-1771
US$0.00
Portrait of a Lady, circa 1760s
Watercolour on ivory, oval, 4 x 3 cm.
Signed with monogram and dated 1767
Set in a blue glass and gold locket
Sullivan was born in County Louth but spent most of his life in London where he worked as an assistant to William Hogarth and the engraver Jacques-Philippe Le Bas. As a result of Le Bas’ influence, Sullivan worked in a fully fledged French Rococo style which may be seen in this miniature. The sitter wears a highly fashionable black ribbon at her neck which is tied with a bow at the back. The flowers in her décolletage add to the rococo feel of the portrait.
Paul Caffrey