LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / June 11, 2026 / Stunning pen and ink study by Delacroix also among the highlights

Important portraits by two of England’s greatest painters come to Sloane Street Auctions for sale on June 19, with combined hopes of up to £130,000.

Portrait of Ralph Sheldon (c.1741-1822) by Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (1723-1792) is an impressive depiction of the scion of an old Catholic recusant family who, after a dissolute youth, not only at home but abroad he eventually conformed to the established church. This enabled him to become a colonel of volunteers and member of parliament. In 1775 he joined Brooks’s Club. His intimacy with the fourth Duke of Marlborough’s family and relationship to the tenth Earl of Pembroke made him an ideal go-between to settle the marriage of Pembroke’s heir to the Duke’s daughter.

He stood proxy for the Duke’s friend Francis Burton in 1801 in the canvas for the City of Oxford. In 1804 he was himself brought in as MP for Wilton by the eleventh Earl of Pembroke. He was a supporter of Pitt’s administration.

The 30 x 25in oil on canvas portrait dates to 1777 and has an impressive provenance to the landmark Knoedler Gallery, Summer Exhibition, in London in June 1913. It is expected to fetch £50,000-80,000.

George Romney’s (c.1734-1802) portrait of Anne Evelyn aged 20 dates to 1788 and is another highlight of the auction. A century ago, it was owned by Henry Berkley Viscount Portman, as a card to the reverse attests.

The sitter was the younger daughter of James Evelyn the Squire of Felbridge (1718-93), who developed Felbridge Park on the Surrey-Sussex border and commissioned Sir John Soane to design a huge stone monument to the memory of Evelyn’s parents.

In a period carved and gilded frame, the 30 x 25in oil on canvas has also passed through the collections of the 3rd Earl of Liverpool (1784-1851) and The Hon. Henry Berkeley Portman (1860-1923), passing by descent through the Portman family until now. The estimate is £30,000-50,000.

The auction also includes Two studies of wild felines, a striking pen and ink drawing by the leader of French Romantic painting, Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).Bearing the artist’s studio stamp lower right, it was originally sold during the artist’s studio sale, in Paris, on February 17-29, 1864, to Gustave Arosa (1818-1883). From there it has a clear provenance through several collections before being acquired by the dealers Jacques Mathey (Paris) or 'Neuville' [Galerie Neuville & Vivien, Paris], in 1947 or afterwards.

Measuring 4 x 5¼in, it carries hopes of £10,000-15,000.

“These wonderful works by some of the most celebrated masters of their art are often to be found in our auctions, especially since the demise of Christie’s South Kensington, whose catalogues they might previously have graced,” said Sloane Street Auctions owner Daniel Hunt. “We have been delighted to pick up the baton where they left off as the premier source of such lots, and it is also a happy coincidence that our auctioneer, Hugh Edmeades, was Christie’s South Kensington’s former chairman.”

Live online bidding is available via Sloane Street Auctions’ website at www.sloanestreetauctions.com

For further information contact info@lucasfieldmedia.com Tel 07968 952850

Images courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions

Please find high res images here: https://we.tl/t-hLiRNiSC5ywOTiH2

Captions:

Portrait of Ralph Sheldon (c.1741-1822) by Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (1723-1792) – estimated at £50,000-80,000 in Sloane Street Auctions’ June 19 sale.

George Romney’s (c.1734-1802) portrait of Anne Evelyn aged 20, which dates to 1788 – the estimate is £30,000-50,000.

Two studies of wild felines, by Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) – £10,000-15,000.

About Sloane Street Auctions

Sloane Street Auctions was founded by Mr Daniel Hunt after spending over 30 years as a high-profile gallery owner and dealer, based at his galleries in Lower Sloane Street, London. Daniel Hunt’s intimate knowledge of the upper tiers of the art and antique sectors throughout millennia, from BC to 2022, provides Sloane Street Auctions with unprecedented access to private collections worldwide and the best of access to specific expertise.

Sloane Street Auctions’ primary objective is to work with both our buyers and sellers to provide the art market access to the rarest objects and art - from Classical Antiquities, Icons and Old Masters, right through to the YBAs and beyond.

Sloane Street Auctions takes great pleasure in dealing with people. We aim to provide a seamless and pleasant service, whether buying or selling. Our vision is to unearth the world’s greatest treasures and to match them with the world’s greatest collectors, whether an occasional buyer or a seasoned connoisseur. Sloane Street Auctions prides itself in providing the highest level of client service and discretion.

With Daniel’s contacts spanning over 40 countries worldwide, accumulated over a lifetime in the industry, Sloane Street Auctions empowers our community of connoisseurs and collectors to acquire and consign the greatest of fine art and objects at a highly competitive rate.

With Daniel Hunt’s expertise in curating some of the most renowned private collections worldwide, Sloane Street Auctions has the ability to source a wide variety of extraordinary pieces. Sloane Street Auctions’ concentrates on, but is not limited to, Old Master Drawings and Paintings, European Furniture and Works of Art, Impressionist Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography and Private Sales.