Beschreibung:

[Jane Austen]. Portrait miniature of James Digweed, by George Jackson (active 1810-20s), circa 1811, watercolour, gouache, and bodycolour on ivory, oval head and shoulders half-profile portrait to right of a fair-haired gentleman with side whiskers, wearing a black coat and white stock, against a backdrop of crimson drapes and leather-bound books, small piece of paper tipped to verso annotated in contemporary manuscript 'Rvd James Digweed', 70 x 55 mm (2.75 x 2.25 ins), ebonised frame, glazed (Qty: 1) Provenance: From the portrait miniature collection of mathematician and businessman Sir Brian Kellett (1922-1994). The Digweeds were non-landed gentry who rented Steventon Manor from Thomas Knight, and subsequently his heir, Jane Austen's brother, Edward Austen Knight. Consequently they were close neighbours and friends of George and Cassandra Austen and their offspring, who lived at the rectory in Steventon, near Basingstoke, from 1775 to 1801 during George's incumbency there. Hugh and Ruth Digweed had five sons - John, Harry, James, William Francis and Francis William - who were much of an age with the Austen progeny. James Digweed (1774-1862) was born at the Manor the year before Jane was born, and so the two childen grew up together and formed a great friendship. James took holy orders in 1797 and became George Austen's curate at Steventon in 1798. His wife Mary Susannah was also a close friend of the novelist. She was the daughter of John Lyford, the Austen family doctor, who attended on all members of the family whilst they lived at Steventon. Jane Austen often referred to the Digweeds in her letters, their paths frequently crossing at dinners, balls and other social occasions. A particularly interesting letter is that sent by Jane to her sister Cassandra in 1798: 'James Digweed has had a very ugly cut–how could it happen? It happened by a young horse which he had lately purchased, & which he was trying to back into its stable;– the Animal kicked him down with his forefeet, & kicked a great hole in his head;–he scrambled away as soon as he could, but was stunned for a time, & suffered a good deal of pain afterwards.' James Digweed was also alluded to in a typically romantic vein by Jane to her sister in a letter written the following year: 'James Digweed left Hampshire to day. I think he must be in love with you, from his anxiety to have you go to the Faversham Balls, & likewise from his supposing, that the two Elms fell from their greif [sic] at your absence. - Was not it a galant [sic] idea?' (Jane Austen's Letters, Collected and Edited by Deirdre Le Faye, OUP, 2011, pages 28 and 65) Although unsigned, in our opinion this painting is by the same artist as the portrait miniature of James's brother, Francis William, in this sale (lot 221); the works match in style and technique, and were almost certainly done around the same time. For a similar example of this little-known artist's work, depicting the sporting artist John Frederick Herring (NPG 4902) and dated 1822, see David Saywell & Jacob Simon, National Portrait Gallery, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, page 299, and Richard Walker Regency Portraits, 1985, page 246.