Lot 29: John Daniel Bond (1725-1803)

Portrait of Juliana Ludford (1741-1811), full-length, in an oyster satin dress with lace sleeves, beside a double-rowed organ, turning a sheet of music with her right hand with inscription 'Juliana Ludford Nat 1741 Ob 1811.' (on the stretcher) oil on canvas 961/4 x 54 in. (244.5 x 137.2 cm.) LITERATURE J. Nichols The History and Antiquities of The County of Leicestershire, IV, London, 1811, p. 1022, in the Library at Ansley Hall. NOTES The sitter was the third daughter of John Bracebridge Ludford of Ansley Hall, Warwickshire, and Juliana Newdegate, third and youngest daughter of Sir Richard Newdegate, of Arbury Hall, Warwickshire, and sister of Sir Edward and Sir Roger Newdegate. The sitter was born at Arbury and baptised there on 24 September 1741, she died aged 70 on 1 May 1811. J. Nichols ( op. cit. ) records this portrait in the Library at Ansley Hall commenting that 'she was the first Lady performer on the organ (not a professional one), she is appropriately drawn standing at a double-rowed organ, turning a musick-book over with her right hand.' A few lines later he also comments, apparently of this picture together with other family portraits, 'These six portraits of the family were drawn by the late Mr. Daniel Bond, of Birmingham, about the year 1759.' Later on he added that her death was, 'greatly lamented, as [she was] a first-rate woman of her time'. There were three other surviving children, two daughters, Frances and Millisent, and the only son, John Ludford, who was authorised on 5 July 1808 to assume the name and arms of Newdegate, who married Elisabeth, daughter of John Boswell on 16 June 1778.