An impeccably preserved portrait of Thomas Pope, later 3rd Earl of Downe, by William Larkin (1580-1619), led Bonhams’ (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) Old Master Paintings sale on July 5.
The 22 x 17in (57 x 44cm) oil on panel had spent much of its life at Wroxton Abbey, a Jacobean house in Oxfordshire, and part of its appeal lay in the condition.
“The paint layer, particularly on the exquisite lace, retains its textured surface some 400 years after it was painted. Such good condition is rare for something of this age,” said Bonhams’ director of Old Master paintings, Andrew McKenzie.