BYRON (GEORGE GORDON, LORD) CIRCLE OF JAMES HOLMES (1777-1860) Portrait miniature of Byron in his mid-20s, watercolour on ivory, image 105 x 78mm., framed, c.1824 Footnotes: 'DON'T LOOK AT HIM. HE IS DANGEROUS TO LOOK AT': a miniature of Byron. (The warning from Lady Liddell to her daughter cited by Christine Kenyon-Jones and Geoffrey Bond, in ''Dangerous to Show': Byron and his Portraits', blog post on wordsworth.org.uk, 13 October 2020). 'Images of Byron circulated widely during his lifetime and after his death rapidly became more widely distributed in Europe than those of any other individual except perhaps Napoleon... These images have been of central importance to the cultural transmission of his life and of Byronism more broadly conceived' (ODNB). The most sensational and iconic is arguably Thomas Phillips' 'Albanian' portrait, extant in various versions including at the NPG. Writing later on his images, Byron remarked that 'a painter by the name of Holmes made (I think the very best) one of me in 1815 - or 1816 - and from this were some good engravings taken' and 'I prefer that likeness to any which has been done of me by any artists whatever' (Marchard, Letters, 1973-82, vol. x, pp.175-6). In fact several versions of the portrait are known to have been painted by Holmes, and possibly by one or more of his sons. The earliest was damaged by family intervention and is now lost, but survives in a photograph by Emery Walker taken in the 1890s. The present miniature was studied at length by Dr. Annette Peach, and is item 18.5 in her 'Portraits of Byron' (The Volume of the Walpole Society, 62 (2000), pp.1-144) where she describes it as one of the 'artist's copies'. She further attributes earlier provenance to Martin Watson-Todd who had noted that it was 'Bt. by Wayl[an?]d Mills who bt up the contents of house with Augusta Leigh relics' (note in NPG visitor's book, 5 July 1967). Peach asserts, however, that 'the documenting of this portrait remains problematic, firstly owing to the unknown whereabouts of most of the recorded versions, and secondly, owing to the unsound provenance attached to the version or copy formerly in the possession of Mrs Langley Moore [i.e. the present copy]'. She concludes therefore that the present copy 'does not convey the directness or confidence of a master version, and in the absence of an established provenance, reference to its quality identifies its status as a copy'. The miniature has been inspected more recently by Emma Rutherford, who ascribes it to the circle of James Holmes. This remains one of the key portraits of Byron. His 'liking for Holmes's portraits is evident from his sitting to him at least twice..., and commissioning further portraits... The preference of Byron and Augusta for this portrait, above all others of the poet, underlines its importance as a likeness' (Peach, p.77). Provenance: Doris Langley Moore (1903-1989); Sotheby's, 19-20 July 1993, lot 245; UK private collector. Exhibited: 'Byron: an Exhibition to Commemorate the 150th Anniversary of his Death', 30 May-25 August 1974, Victoria & Albert Museum, item J18. Please note that this lot contains ivory, export and shipping restrictions apply. It has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10). With non-transferable reference (R6KZKSNJ). This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Y Ф Y Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13. Ф This lot contains or is made of ivory and cannot be imported into the USA or any country within the EU. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing