We are delighted to present a new discovery of an exquisite portrait of Theodosia Barnwell, a masterful example of the work of celebrated Scottish portrait artist Allan Ramsay who became Principal Painter to King George III. It is likely to have been painted as a pendant to a portrait of her brother Charles, painted by Ramsay in 1756, which closely aligns with this work. 

Theodosia is depicted in a half-length pose, set against a subtle graduated oval background which frames the figure. She gazes outwards towards the viewer with an air of confidence and poise. Her elegant dress adorned with fresh flowers and pearls suggest the sitter's affluence and adherence to the fashion of the era. Ramsay was renowned for his delicate and sensitive portrayals of his subjects, evident in this work's luminous quality and natural sensitivity. 

Theodosia  was born in 1738 and was the daughter of the Reverand Charles Barnwell (1705-1774) from Norfolk and his wife Katherine Sparrow from Suffolk. Her father was a well established pluralist clergyman, serving as the Rector of Beeston-next-Mileham and Little Fransham, choosing to live in the Rectory at Beeston rather than Mileham Hall on the family estate in Mileham. The Hall was still occupied at the time by his step-mother and half-siblings following his father's death in 1750. Theodosia's brother, also named Charles (1736-1802) inherited the Mileham family estate in 1774. 

Painter to King George III and widely recognised as one of the most talented portraitists of his generation, Allan Ramsay was born in Edinburgh in 1713. His father, also named Allan Ramsay, was a poet and playwright, best known as the author of The Gentle Shepherd (1725). Like many of the most prestigious portraitists of his age, the young Ramsay studied at the St. Martin’s Lane Academy in London, as well as training in the studio of Swedish painter Hans Hysing. In 1736, Ramsay travelled to Italy for the first time, working at the French Academy in Rome under the instruction of Francesco Imperiali before moving to Naples, where he worked in the studio of Francesco Solimena. Invigorated by his experience under the Italian-baroque masters on the continent, Ramsay returned to Britain in 1738 and set up his own portrait practice in Covent Garden. His work swiftly gained in popularity and he soon attained an impressive list of clients, including the Duke of Bridgewater, Sir Robert Walpole, the Lord Chancellor Philip Yorke, Earl of Hardwicke and Dr. Richard Mead. As well as expanding his list of clients in London, Ramsay also retained his contacts in his native Edinburgh, where he continued to maintain a studio. His work proved particularly popular amongst the Scottish nobility and he received a number of important commissions from figures such as the Duke of Argyll and the Duke of Buccleuch. Ramsay visited Italy for a second time from 1754 to 1757, and it was on his return to London in 1757 that he received his first commission from Lord Bute, tutor to the Prince of Wales, to paint the heir to the throne. In 1761, Ramsay was chosen to paint the Prince, now George III, and his wife Queen Charlotte in full state coronation robes. The works were a great success and Ramsay was appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary to the King in March 1767 and subsequently spent much of his time producing copies of his coronation portraits and other works for the royal family. Ramsay’s career in painting was halted by an injury to his arm, which he sustained from a fall from a ladder in 1773. A close friend of Dr. Johnson and David Hume, and correspondent of the likes of Voltaire and Rousseau, Ramsay spent his latter years following his intellectual and literary pursuits until his death in 1784.