Sir David Wilkie, RA (1785-1841) Portrait of Andrew Christie (1788-1821) of Pitlessie, Fife, standing half-length in a landscape, holding his hat in his right handinscribed “[N.B.] / Captain Andrew Christie / of Pitlessie, Fife / when 17 years of age” (on an old label to the reverse)oil on canvas74.5 x 62cmProvenance:By descent in the family of the sitter to Miss Christie of Great King Street, Edinburgh, by 1886 (see Exhibited); With Horsburgh, Edinburgh by 1900 as Wilkie, with its pendant portrait of the sitter's twin brother Charles Christie (1788-1870), when bought by Agnew & Son Sold by them as Raeburn in February 1903 to Calouste Gulbenkian (1869-1955), Reacquired by Agnew & Son from Gulbenkian in December 1903, Sold subsequently to E G Raphael in April 1904, Acquired again by Agnew & Son in December 1904, Sold by them to Captain John Aitken (1863-1924) a descendant of the present sitter’s sister (see Note) in February 1905,Thence by descent to the present ownerExhibited:Edinburgh, International Exhibition of Industry, Science & Art, 6th May-30th October 1886, no. 1550 or 1724 (see Provenance and Note), as 'Portrait of Mr. Christie, son of Mr. Christie, Banker, Cupar, Fife - Sir David Wilkie, R.A.', lent by Miss Christie of 26 Great King Street, Edinburgh Literature:Allan Cunningham, The Life of Sir David Wilkie: With His Journals, Tours, and Critical Remarks on Works of Art; and a Selection from His Correspondence, 3 vols., published posthumously J. Murrey 1843, p. 67To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Sir David Wilkie’s works by Hamish Miles, currently being edited by Alex Kidson.We are grateful to Alex Kidson for identifying the present lot as the previously lost portrait of Captain Andrew Christie and pointing out that this was first recorded by the artist's biographer Allan Cunningham (1784-1842) shortly after Wilkie's death. In his Life of Sir David Wilkie (see Literature), Cunningham lists portraits of the "two sons of Mr.Christie, banker in Cupar" in a context implying a date of about 1804 for both. The sitter, Andrew Christie (20th Sept. 1788-1821) was the son of Andrew Christie (1765-1831) of Ferrybank, a Provost of Cupar and a banker, and Margaret Dempster (1769-1842). He was commissioned into the Honourable East India Company and departed for India, where he arrived on the 16th of May 1806, dying there in 1821. These circumstances along with Wilkie’s departure for London in the spring of 1805 must explain the unfinished state of the portrait. Its pendant portrait (see Provenance & Exhibited) of the sitter's twin brother, Charles Christie (1788-1870) (see illustration) was however completed and is now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art where it was long considered to be by Raeburn. When that picture along with the present portrait were acquired from Horsburgh (see Provenance) in 1900 by Agnew, the latter’s stock books show that they initially recorded both portraits as by Wilkie, only later however crossing out the attribution and amending it to Raeburn. A portrait of the sitter’s brother-in-law’s brother, Alexander Aitken (see Provenance) was also painted at this period by Wilkie, which picture remained with his descendants until sold at Sotheby’s on 13th April 1994 (lot 34). It was then resold at Sotheby’s on 11th June 2020 when it realised 30,000 USD (with premium). The current owner of this lot is descended from Jane Christie, the sister of the sitter in the present portrait. The painting is executed in oil on a canvas support which has been lined. The canvas has deformations across the surface, notably at the upper left corner. The lining canvas is brittle at the tacking edges. The painting has suffered from knocks with a few small holes and circular impact cracks. The painting is unfinished but may also have been overcleaned, there are areas of abrasion in some of the thicker paint passages. The painting has an uneven varnish layer with some glossy, vertical drips of yellowed varnish. In other areas there is a matte haze across the surface. There is a light layer of surface dirt present.
![British Naive School, 19th century Portrait of a lady seated in an interior, said to be Mrs Le Vetté [sic.; possibly Levett]i](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/9121af16-89f4-4b16-8f9f-afb6011705d0/2fd34722-635b-474f-b142-afc801117a4e/468x382.jpg)
