Francis Cotes: George II Pastel Portrait of a Lady
A charming mid 18th Century pastel portrait of a female beauty shown in a flowered silk dress, ribbon-tied lace bonnet and pearl-twined lace fichu; attributable to Francis Cotes. Presented in the original carved gilt-wood frame
Height 86 cm (34 inches) framed
Width 70 cm (27.5 inches) framed
English. Mid 18th century
Francis Cotes RA (20 May 1726 – 16 July 1770) was an English painter, one of the pioneers of English pastel painting.
Cotes studied the drawings of Rosalba Carriera and, influenced by her, he worked predominantly in pastel (only doing oil paintings later in his life). He was a very fashionable painter during his lifetime and he helped found the Society of Artists becoming its director in 1765. Cotes was invited to become one of the first members of the Royal Academy but died just two years afterwards aged 44.
