Counting ones chickens

When I first saw this picture I thought that the drought that I have experienced as far as pictures I like being available for auction had at last come to an end. It was described as:

framed oil on canvas, ''The Witty Countess of Dorchester, (Catherine Sedley), Mistress of King James II''  after Sir Peter Lely (British, 1618-1680), unsigned, titled on label affixed verso, sight: 17.25''h x 14.25''w, overall: 22.25''h x 19.5''w.

In doing my research I found that this (above) was what the artist copied - the portrait by Lely at the National Portrait Gallery in London, which Treasure Hunt informs me is on loan to the National Trust at Lyme Park.

There is of course a world of difference between the two pictures, and I know which one I would rather have. Perhaps a case of "If you liked the book, you'll love the picture", (the book being the copy). So of course my enthusiasm waned slightly, but nonetheless I decided to bid, within a sensible limit, reflecting the fact that this would be a decorative acquistion, rather than one made on the merit of investment. When I checked the auction house site the next day, (the auction takes place whilst I am pushing up Zs), it appeared the picture had been sold at my limit. But at that stage there was no breakdown of who bid what. When that was posted later in the day, it revealed that because of the order of bidders, my last bid was just short of my limit, and the final bid price was made by someone on the floor.

So, it slipped away. In the circumstances, I am not overly sad, and one has to take the view that it was not meant to be.

In the same auction there was a portrait of King Charles II - "after" Sir Godfrey Kneller, as below:

Initially I was quite keen on this picture too, but there were dissenting voices in the household, so it never progressed. Sir Geoffrey Kneller completed two portraits of Charles II. One of them is written about by Treasure Hunt in the arcticle aforementioned, and this is another:

in which the emphasis appears to be on the king's fine legs, however bizarre that looks today. But apart from the connection of the countess being the mistress of Charles's younger brother and his successor as king, the plan went no further. Both prices achieved reflect that copies (or "after" pictures), whilst not without some value, cannot compete with originals as far as investment and prices.