''John Gubbins Newton and His Sister, Mary Newton'' is an 1833 painting by Robert Burnard. It is now in the

Yale Center for British Art Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the worl ...

, as part of the

Paul Mellon Paul Mellon (June 11, 1907 – February 1, 1999) was an American philanthropist and an owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall ...

collection, where it has the accession number B2001.2.66.

Description

The painting, a full-length portrait, shows John Gubbins Newton on a horse, with his sister, Mary Newton, beside him. At the time of the painting, John was six years old and Mary was ten years old.Trumble, Angus. Who was Robert Burnard? Apollo Magazine, Ltd. Sept 2004 v 160 i511 P84-

/ref> Judy Egerton wrote that there is nothing remotely like it in English portraiture of the second quarter of the nineteenth century.Judy Egerton, Spun in Art and Books. The Paul Mellon Collections: British Sporting and Animal Paintings, 1655-1867, London, 1978JOHN GUBBINS NEWTON AND HIS SISTER, MARY NEWTON by ROBERT BURNARD By Jennifer A. Wheeler For Sense and Sensibility: Art in Europe 1750-1850, May 200

/ref> Grace Glueck described it as "a little-known dazzler".

Attribution

The painting has been attributed to at least three painters. In 1963, Basil Taylor attributed the painting to

Jacques-Laurent Agasse Jacques-Laurent Agasse (April 24, 1767 – December 27, 1849) was an animal and Landscape art, landscape Painting, painter from Switzerland. Born at Geneva, Agasse studied in the public art school of that city. Before he turned twenty he w ...

. In 1978, Judy Egerton attributed the painting to Scottish portrait and history painter

John Zephaniah Bell John Zephaniah Bell (1794–1883) was a Scottish artist. Life He was born in Dundee, where his father William Bell was a tanner, businessman and banker; James Stanislaus Bell was his brother. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and then ...

. When the portrait was cleaned by Lance Mayer for the 2001 exhibition, ''The Paul Mellon Bequest: Treasures of a Lifetime'', a signature ('R. Burnard pinxit') was discovered in the foliage in the upper left corner of the painting. On the basis of the signature, the painting was attributed to Robert Burnard.

Provenance

John Gubbins Newton and Mary Newton were the only children of John Newton of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. The painting stayed at the Newton’s Millaton House for over a hundred years until 1955, when it was bought by J. Andrews, of

Tavistock, Devon Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...

. Then it was bought by Cyril Steal who sold it to Jeremy Maas in 1961. Later that same year,

bought it. The painting remained in Mellon's house in

Upperville, Virginia Upperville is a small unincorporated town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States, along U.S. Route 50 fifty miles from downtown Washington, D.C., near the Loudoun County line. Founded in the 1790s along Pantherskin Creek, it was originally nam ...

until 1999, when it was moved to the

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

References

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External links

JOHN GUBBINS NEWTON AND HIS SISTER, MARY NEWTON by ROBERT BURNARDWho was Robert Burnard? by Agnus Trumble
19th-century paintings