Bernard Lens, portrait of an unknown girl

Bernard Lens
Portrait of an unknown girl
About 1720–30
Watercolour on ivory, over graphite underdrawing
Signed lower left ‘BL’ in monogram
Museum no. Evans 157
Alan Evans Bequest, given by the National Gallery

Bernard Lens, portrait of Richard Whitmore

Bernard Lens (1682-1740)
1718
Portrait of Richard Whitmore
Watercolour on ivory, over graphite underdrawing
Signed lower right 'BL' in monogram. Inscribed on the back 'Richard / the 3rd son of Willm. / & Eliz : Whitmore' and in Latin, 'at the age of 3 / in the year 1718 / by B. Lens'
Museum no. P.13-1971

Richard's father was William Whitmore, MP for Bridgnorth in Shropshire. Lens copied the striking blue background from Elizabethan miniatures, which he often restored and re-framed for patrons.

Bernard Lens, portrait of Miss Elizabeth Weld

Bernard Lens (1682-1740)
Portrait of Miss Elizabeth Weld
About 1720
Watercolour on ivory, over graphite underdrawing
Signed lower left, 'BL' in monogram. Inscribed on the back of the frame, 'Miss Weld / of Willey who / marryed Brooke / Forester Esq'
Museum no. P.65-1987

Elizabeth Weld was related to Richard Whitmore, whose grandmother was also a Weld.

Christian Friedrich Zincke, portrait of an unknown woman

Christian Friedrich Zincke (1683/4-1767)
Portrait of an Unknown Woman
1716
Painted in enamel on copper
Signed in enamel on the back in Latin 'C. F. Zincke made this' and dated '1716'
Museum no. P.106-1922

This is possibly of Arabella Fermor (1696-1737), a famous London society beauty. She was the heroine of Alexander Pope 's humorous poem, 'The Rape of the Lock', about the theft of a lock of her hair.

Gervase Spencer, portrait of an unknown woman

Gervase Spencer (died 1763)
1749
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower left 'G. Spencer f'[ecit -made this]' and dated '1749'
Museum no. 194-1904.

Penelope Carwardine, portrait of an unknown woman

Penelope Carwardine (1730-1801)
Portrait of an unknown woman
About 1760
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower right ‘P.C’ in monogram
Museum no. 412-1907

Nathaniel Hone, portrait of Harry Earl aged 15

Nathaniel Hone (1718-84)
Portrait of Harry Earl, aged 15
1758
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower right 'NH' in monogram, and dated '1758'. Inscription scratched on metal locket in Latin, 'Harry Earle Junior aged 15'
Museum no. P.4-1958
Bequeathed by Mr Stuart H. J. Johnson

Thomas Frye, portrait of an unknown man

Thomas Frye (1710-62)
Portrait of an Unknown Man
1761
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower left 'TF' in monogram and dated '1761'
Museum no. Evans 355
Alan Evans Bequest, given by the National Gallery

Luke Sullivan, portrait of an unknown woman

Luke Sullivan (1705-71)
1760
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower right 'LS' in monogram, and dated '1760'
Museum no. P.30-1941
Given by Mrs Emma Joseph