CHATSWORTH FINE ART SALE April 29th, 30th & May 1st 2026

104 IMPERFECTIONS NOT STATED Fonsie Mealy’s Est. 1934 “Portrait of a Gentleman,”O.O.C., approx. 75cms x 61cms (29½” x 24”). (1) Provenance: Private Collection
Depicting a handsome young man with black hair, wearing an overcoat, gloves, a wing collar and cravat, this is an outstanding portrait by Martin Archer Shee, an Irish artist who worked in London, where he rose to become President of the Royal Academy. Standing in front of a classical column and red curtain, with a glimpse of landscape on the left, the man is bright-eyed and alert. While it is tempting to identify him as Daniel O’Connell – and there is some physical resemblance – the dates unfortunately do not match up. Judging by its style, this work dates from around 1805: other portraits by Shee from that period include one of William Cavendish, future Duke of Devonshire, which is close to the present work in terms of composition and colouring. However, in Shee’s autobiography he states that his first meeting with O’Connell took place in London some twenty years later, in 1825. By that time ‘The Liberator’ was fifty years old, and so cannot be the man depicted in the present work. Shee held O’Connell in high regard, and when they met, O’Connell agreed to sit for the artist. The portrait that resulted, which for some years was in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, clearly depicts an older man. For the time being therefore, the present painting will have to continue as a Portrait of a Gentleman, and await efforts by future scholars to identify the sitter. A superb portrait painter, Shee numbered among his sitters members of many prominent families, among them Annesley, Spring-Rice, Yelverton and Spencer. He also painted scenes from Shakespeare, as well as portraits of literary, dramatic and musical figures including Elizabeth Kemble and Thomas Moore.
Born in Dublin in 1769, Martin Archer Shee was the son of a merchant from Kilkenny named Martin Shee and his wife Mary Archer. When Shee was just two years old his mother died, and his father also died when he was young. Shee’s education, in a school run by the Dominican order, was left in the hands of relatives. Aged just twelve, he enrolled in the Dublin Society’s drawing schools, and under Francis Robert West, made good progress. Establishing himself as an independent painter at the age of fifteen, he received several commissions, including from the Blake family of Co. Galway. In 1788 he moved to London and the following year had two portraits accepted by the Royal Academy. However his fortunes in London were mixed and he decided to enrol as a student at the Royal Academy. Meeting with his cousin George Shee, a wealthy businessman, and with the poet Alexander Pope gained him commissions for portraits, and soon after Shee’s career began to flourish. He took a house in Golden Square in 1796 and that same year married Mary Power of Youghal. Two years later he was elected an Associate Member of the RA, and in 1800 became a full member. After the death of Thomas Lawrence, while the genre painter DavidWilke was expected to follow him as President of the Academy, it was Shee who was elected. He became celebrated not only for his talents as an author and a painter, but also for his diplomatic and administrative skills. In 1824 his play Alasco became a cause célèbre when it was heavily censored by the government. Peter Murray 2026 €2,000 - €3,000 919. Sir Martin Archer Shee PRA (1769 - 1850)