In 1723, 27-year-old Coulson Fellowes, the eldest son of landowner and lawyer William Fellowes, set out on his Grand Tour, intended to complete his education; he had been admitted to the bar that same year. He travelled through France to Italy, where he learned of his father’s death in Venice in 1724. This may have prompted him to commission a portrait.
For that, he chose the Venetian pastel painter Rosalba Carriera, who had recently returned home after a successful European tour, during which she had been celebrated for her portraiture in France in 1719–20.
Carriera recorded in her diary that Coulson Fellowes visited her studio on May 9, 1724, and she began work on the portrait, receiving payment of 22 zecchini (Venetian gold coins) just six days later.
See also: Rosalba Carriera: The Queen of Pastels Who Revolutionized Portraiture
Having a portrait painted by Rosalba Carriera became a must for English aristocrats on the Grand Tour, who proudly took the results home. The present portrait, measuring 54.5 x 41 cm, eventually reached Britain. Coulson Fellowes, who later served as Member of Parliament for Huntingdonshire from 1741 to 1761, passed it to his younger brother William Fellowes. After William’s death in 1775, it became part of the family collection at Shotesham Park in Norfolk. When the estate was sold in 1979, the portrait remained in the family. For the first time in 300 years, it is now being offered on the auction market, entrusted to Cheffins in Cambridgeshire.
See also: Antoine Watteau: Frivolity and Melancholy
Luke Bodalbhai, paintings specialist at Cheffins, commented: “This elegant study is a very fine example of the innovative portraiture of the Venetian artist, exhibiting the spontaneity, directness and intimacy which propelled Rosalba to international stardom at the beginning of the 18th century. Her close relationship with Watteau reflects Rosalba’s adoption of a typically rococo spirit, conducive to being captured in pastel, which became the key to her renown. As a pioneering female artist, Rosalba Carriera broke social norms to become one of the leading portraitists of the 18th century. The Grand Tour was a time of artistic discovery and provided a platform for European artists to illustrate their talent to the 18th century British aristocracy. This painting is fascinating in that it has been created by one of the most interesting artists of the period, but also during some of the most pivotal years for British and European art and travel. It is a pleasure to be able to offer this important work to the market for the first time, and it is likely to be of interest to not only institutions, but also collectors of 18th century portraiture, fans of Carriera and also the trade.”
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Rosalba Carriera’s portrait of Coulson Fellowes will be offered on September 17 as a highlight of Cheffins’ “The Fine Sale” in Cambridge, with an estimated price of £15,000–25,000 (approximately $20,300-34,000).
