Provenance

Bequeathed by the artist in 1816 to James White of Exeter (1744–1825), on whose death it passed to Towne’s residuary legatee John Herman Merivale (1779–1844) and his successors. Merivale’s granddaughters Maria Sophia Merivale (1853–1928) and Judith Ann Merivale (1860–1945), both of Oxford, inherited the drawing in 1915 (BP262, Hagar, also engraving of Jos. Goupy signed F.Towne No.8). According to the Barton Place catalogue, it was on sale at Squire Gallery in February 1935 but it must have been returned unsold, as the drawing remained the property of the Merivale family, on whose behalf it was offered for sale by John Spink from 2007 onwards, until being offered for sale at Sotheby’s on 7 July 2011, lot 322 (a group with FT387 and FT561), where it did not sell. It was later offered at Chorley’s of Cheltenham on 10 November 2011, lot 46.