Artwork

Arthur Holdsworth Conversing with Thomas Taylor and Captain Stancombe by the River Dart

Arthur Holdsworth Conversing with Thomas Taylor and Captain Stancombe by the River Dart is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Arthur Devis. It dates from 1757 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower center: Arth: Devis fe 1757 [the last digit almost illegible]

About this work

Technique & Style

Created by Arthur Devis, the piece utilizes standard materials for mid-eighteenth-century British portraiture, applying oil pigments to a woven fabric support.

Executed in 1757, this work is an oil painting on canvas. The composition measures 127.6 cm in height and 102.1 cm in width. Created by Arthur Devis, the piece utilizes standard materials for mid-eighteenth-century British portraiture, applying oil pigments to a woven fabric support.

The specific handling of the medium and the current physical condition of the surface are not detailed in the available records, though the work has remained intact through its history from the Holdsworth family collection to its eventual acquisition by the National Gallery of Art.

History & Provenance

Painted by Arthur Devis in 1757, the work was originally commissioned for Arthur Holdsworth (1733–1777) for his estates at Mount Gilpin and Widdicombe House in Kingsbridge, Devon. Ownership passed by descent to Captain Frederick Holdsworth, who retained the painting until its inclusion in a Christie, Manson & Woods sale in London on 22 April 1921, where it was bought in. It subsequently descended to his sister, Mrs. Cuthbert Lucas, before being offered again at Christie's on 6 November 1959. Following acquisition by London dealer Thos.

Agnew & Sons, the painting was sold in 1960 to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. The work entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1983 as a gift from the Mellon collection.

The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it entered the collection as a gift from Paul Mellon in 1983. Prior to this acquisition, the work passed through several private hands, including the artist's original patron Arthur Holdsworth and his descendants, before being sold to Mellon in 1960. The National Gallery of Art accessioned the piece following its receipt from the Mellon estate, solidifying its status within the institution's permanent holdings.

Historical records note that the work was offered at Christie, Manson & Woods in London on two separate occasions, first in 1921 where it was bought in, and again in 1959 before its eventual sale to Mellon. No specific exhibition history is detailed in the provided sources beyond its current location and provenance trail.

Overview

Arthur Devis’s 1757 oil on canvas, titled Arthur Holdsworth Conversing with Thomas Taylor and Captain Stancombe by the River Dart, depicts three gentlemen in contemporary attire gathered beside a riverbank. The composition is set within a park landscape, with trees and a distant horizon rendered in soft, filtered light. The work measures the interaction of the figures against a natural backdrop, emphasizing both social presence and environment.

Subject & Meaning

The painting presents Arthur Holdsworth, Thomas Taylor and Captain Stancombe engaged in conversation. Holdsworth, positioned on the left, holds a riding crop, suggesting his equestrian interests; Taylor sits on a stool with a small dog at his feet, indicating a leisurely posture; Stancombe, on the right, gestures with his hand, implying an animated discussion. The inclusion of the dog and the river setting adds a domestic, pastoral dimension to the gathering.

Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote, Joseph Wright of Derby

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Artist & collection

Artist

Arthur Devis

Arthur Devis (19 February 1712 – 25 July 1787) was an English painter whose father, Anthony, was progenitor of what became a family dynasty of painters and writers.