Joseph Clover, British 1779-1853- Portrait of Mrs John Brown, seated...

Joseph Clover,
British 1779-1853-

Portrait of Mrs John Brown, seated half-length, wearing a blue dress and white bonnet, and holding a book and reading glasses;

oil on canvas, bears pencil inscription 'Portrait of wife of alderman John Brown. The portrait of him and fellow to this portrait is in Norwich Castle Museum' on the upper horizontal stretcher bar, 77 x 65.2 cm.

Provenance:
Private Collection, UK.

Note:
The present work is the pendant to the 'Portrait of Alderman John Browne', of similar dimensions, and held at the Norfolk Museum Collections [NWHCM:1894.75.29:F]. A member of the Norwich School of painters, Clover trained under John Opie (1761-1807), and his works reveal a relatively free handling with a generous amount of paint, that is characteristic of Opie. In 1809, he was selected to portray three of the mayors of Norwich, the decision based in part on his works exhibited at the Royal Academy that year. In 1811, he staged an exhibition of his works in Norwich. The present portrait is a particularly charming and finely executed work by the artist.