Portrait Painting Louisa Cooke With Mr Quiz In The Manner of George Romney C1802





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Description



British Provincial School, Circa 1802

Portrait of Louisa Cooke and “Mr. Quiz”: Home Before Trafalgar

Regency Oil on Panel | Cooke Family and HMS Bellerophon Provenance | In the Manner of George Romney

Highlights

• Intimate Regency-period oil portrait dating to circa 1802.

• Traditionally identified as Louisa Cooke with the family dog, “Mr. Quiz.”

• Mr. Quiz is recorded by name in surviving Cooke family correspondence.

• Historical association with Captain John Cooke RN, commander of HMS Bellerophon at Trafalgar.

• Captain Cooke was killed during the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.

• British Provincial School, painted in the manner of George Romney.

• Reported descent through the Cooke family until 1961/62.

• Retains a Herbert Evans & Co. Ltd., Johannesburg, label verso.

• Professionally conserved with an accompanying treatment report.

• Recently presented in a Larson-Juhl gilt frame with Artglass AR 70 glazing.

Introduction

An intimate early 19th-century British oil portrait traditionally identified as Louisa Cooke with her named companion dog, “Mr. Quiz.”

Painted circa 1802, the portrait presents Louisa outdoors in a luminous white empire-line dress and red slippers. She is shown holding the dog’s lead while moving lightly through a softly atmospheric landscape.

The painting combines the elegance of Regency portraiture with an unusually personal domestic narrative. Its reported descent through the Cooke family connects it with Captain John Cooke RN, commander of HMS Bellerophon at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Catalogue Details

Artist: British Provincial School

Date: Circa 1802

Attribution: In the manner of George Romney (1734–1802)

Modern Descriptive Title: Portrait of Louisa Cooke and “Mr. Quiz”: Home Before Trafalgar

Sitter: Traditionally identified as Louisa Cooke, wife of Captain John Cooke RN

Companion Animal: Traditionally identified as the Cooke family dog, “Mr. Quiz”

Medium: Oil on panel

Signature: No visible signature

Catalogue Note

Louisa is portrayed at full length within a restrained landscape. Her white empire-line dress is set against a darker, softly modelled background, producing a strong contrast that draws immediate attention to the figure.

Her red slippers introduce a small but effective note of colour. Mr. Quiz stands attentively at her side, connected to the sitter by the gently held lead.

The pose is animated without becoming theatrical. It conveys informality, movement and domestic affection rather than the rigid formality often associated with society portraiture.

The modelling is restrained and direct. Particular attention is given to the costume, the sitter’s expression and the relationship between woman and dog. These qualities place the work within the refined provincial portrait tradition that developed around the broader influence of George Romney and his generation.

The identification of the sitter and dog is based upon the painting’s reported Cooke family provenance and associated historical research. No visible period inscription naming either sitter has been identified.

Louisa Cooke And Mr. Quiz

Louisa Hardy Cooke was the wife of Captain John Cooke RN. Their marriage took place in 1790, and Louisa later became his widow following his death at Trafalgar in 1805.

The Cooke family dog, Mr. Quiz, is recorded by name in family correspondence. In an 1805 letter, Captain Cooke writes:

“I hope Mr Quiz is very well… and that you don’t intend to take him to Exeter with you. I think you should leave him at home to guard the House.”

The letter establishes Mr. Quiz as a named member of the Cooke household rather than an anonymous dog introduced solely as a conventional portrait accessory.

When considered alongside the painting’s reported family descent, this surviving reference gives the portrait an unusually personal historical dimension. It preserves a quiet domestic relationship belonging to the same family whose public history became inseparable from Trafalgar.

Captain John Cooke And HMS Bellerophon

Captain John Cooke RN (1762–1805) was an experienced Royal Navy officer who assumed command of the 74-gun HMS Bellerophon in 1805.

At the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, Bellerophon fought in close action against the combined French and Spanish fleets. Captain Cooke was killed during the battle and was one of only two British ship captains to lose his life in the engagement.

His widow Louisa subsequently received his posthumous Naval Gold Medal and a presentation vase from Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund. Both objects later entered the national maritime collection.

HMS Bellerophon achieved further historical prominence in 1815 when Napoleon Bonaparte surrendered to Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland and was received aboard the ship before being conveyed to Britain.

The Artist

The painting is catalogued as British Provincial School, circa 1802, in the manner of George Romney.

George Romney (1734–1802) was one of the leading British portrait painters of the late 18th century. His elegant figure arrangements, sensitive treatment of costume and ability to combine refinement with emotional immediacy influenced portrait painters throughout Britain.

The present work is not offered as a painting by Romney or his studio. Its attribution refers to its relationship with the broader portrait idiom associated with Romney’s era: graceful full-length composition, restrained modelling and an emphasis on domestic sentiment.

Provenance

Traditionally identified as having belonged to Louisa Cooke, widow of Captain John Cooke RN.

Thence by reported family descent until 1961/62.

Private collection.

Herbert Evans & Co. Ltd., 139 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg, South Africa; label verso.

Sloane Street Auctions, London.

Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Privately exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum.

The reverse bears chalk inventory or handling numbers “262” and the faint number “804.”

Dimensions

Panel: 26.6 cm high × 20.3 cm wide

Frame: 40 cm high × 33.3 cm wide × 4.5 cm deep

Framing

Recently fitted within a traditional gilt moulded Larson-Juhl frame.

Glazed with Artglass AR 70 anti-reflective protective glass, providing enhanced clarity and improved protection during display.

The painting is ready to hang.

Condition Report

The painting has undergone professional conservation treatment by a fine-art conservator based at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum. A formal conservation report accompanies the work.

Treatment included the removal of surface dirt using a 5% solution of tri-ammonium citrate in water, reduction and removal of the previous varnish using acetone applied through Stoddard solvent, filling and levelling of losses, careful retouching with stable conservation materials and the application of a conservation-grade synthetic resin varnish.

The panel retains expected characteristics associated with its age. Following treatment, the image presents with improved clarity, tonal balance and overall legibility.

Please inspect all photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the condition description. A copy of the conservation report is available to serious collectors upon request.



Reserve: $15,120.00

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