Chasing old paintings is all very well but let us return to more serious matters; a sitting which will fill in some of the gaps in knowledge for the posthumous portrait head.
Susan Campbell is a garden historian specialising in walled kitchen gardens and currently researching kitchen gardens, nation-wide, that might have been designed by Brown. A neighbour was born in Northumberland and she thought that he might share some of Brown’s facial characteristics. Indeed, on comparing his features with the Dance portrait, there was some similarity which I was keen to investigate further.
I am grateful for her perception and help in making this portrait come about, and for my sitter’s time and patience. I am hollowing the clay now so, whilst it will not be fired for Uppark on 6th March, it might accompany me to Winchester for the opening night of the two Brown exhibitions there. It will contribute to the thoughts for the Brown head, but it is, most importantly, an interesting portrait in its own right.
