William Henry Hunt OWS An Interesting Letter

Signed l.r.: W. HUNT, watercolour over pencil with scratching out
34 x 24.5 cm.; 13 3/8 x 9 5/8 inches

Provenance
J.P. Heseltine (1843-1929);
Christopher W. Witt, Buckinghamshire;
The Bourne Gallery, Surrey;
David Pike (1936-2024)

Literature
J.P. Heseltine, John Varley and his Pupils, W. Mulready, J. Linnell and W. Hunt. Original Drawings in the Collection of J.P.H. 1918, ill. p. 13;
John Witt, William Henry Hunt (1790-1864) Life and Works, with a catalogue, no. 539, ill. pl. 66

This shows Sarah Hunt, the artist’s wife, aged about twenty-one reading a letter. The couple were married in 1830 and Hunt used his wife as a model in 1830s, when this work was drawn. It may be compared with a similar example in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum entitled ‘Love Missive' (J. Witt, no. 529). The same chest and chair can be seen in both works.

John Postle Heseltine (1843-1929) was a stockbroker and senior partner in the family firm, Heseltine, Powell & Co. He was a draughtsman and etcher, a collector oil paintings, drawings and watercolours of the English and Continental schools and a Trustee of the National Gallery who advised on purchases.