Portrait of a Lady, three-quarter length, standing in a landscape, resting against a stone plinth supporting a classical carved stone vase. The lady wears a lilac gown over a white chemise with a gold coloured sash around the waist and trimming the sleeves. Bears Christie's stencil mark on reverse.
Oil on canvas in a giltwood frame. Circa 1765.

Francis Cotes (1726-1770 London), son of a pharmacist and elder brother of miniaturist Samuel Cotes was born in London in 1726. He was apprenticed to George Knapton in the early 1740's and began as a pastel portraitist. His work shows the influence of Liotard, Ramsay and Reynolds. In the late 1750's he had emerged fully as a portrait painter in oils. He was highly accomplished and after 1764, could afford to employ Peter Toms (who he shared with Reynolds) to paint the draperies in many of his works. In 1765, he moved to a large house in Cavendish Square in London (later occupied by Romney and Sir Martin Archer Shee), and became the most fashionable portraitist after Reynolds and Gainsborough, painting royal portraits for George III in preference to Reynolds by 1767. Cotes helped found The Society of Artists of Great Britain, becoming its Director in 1765 and was also invited to become a founder member of The Royal Academy. He died just two years later at the age of 44.