Antiques, Decorative and Fine Arts Auction
Lot 82:
Miniature Portrait of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Fortescue Phillimore, CB, MVO, Royal Navy (1864-1940), Signed and Dated 1917
Description
Finely executed hand-painted portrait miniature of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Fortescue Phillimore (1864-1940), a distinguished Royal Navy officer active during the First World War. Depicted bust-length with blue eyes and neatly trimmed grey beard, he wears the dark double-breasted naval uniform and peaked cap with gilt crown-and-anchor badge and oak-leaf bullion band, signifying senior command rank. The portrait is signed with the artist’s monogram and dated 1917 at lower right. The work is mounted under glass within its original gilt slip frame and preserved in a fitted leather travel case, lined in silk and velvet with gilt clasp.
Dimensions (sight): 3.75 × 3 in. (9.5 × 7.5 cm)
Case (closed): 5.5 × 4.25 in. (14 × 11 cm)
Condition: Excellent overall; the painted surface remains bright and crisp. Light dust beneath glass; leather case with expected wear and minor staining consistent with age.
Provenance and Context:
Phillimore, son of Admiral Sir Augustus Phillimore, commanded HMS Inflexible at the Battle of the Falkland Islands (1914), led landings at the Dardanelles (1915), and was promoted Rear-Admiral in 1917. Later appointed Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, he retired as Admiral in 1929. This miniature closely corresponds to Francis Dodd’s official 1917 portrait of Phillimore held in the Imperial War Museum, strengthening attribution.
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