Portraits of John Wood of Hollin Hall,Yorkshire and his wife Francis ~Jonathan I Richardson/Attrib.

Portrait of John Wood Esq of Hollin Hall, Yorkshire; Portrait of Francis Wood

Jonathan Richardson (12 January 1667 – 28 May 1745), sometimes called “the Elder” to distinguish him from his son (Jonathan Richardson the Younger), was an English artist, collector of drawings and writer on art, working almost entirely as a portrait-painter in London. He was considered by some art-critics as one of the three foremost painters of his time. He was the master of Thomas Hudson and George Knapton. Richardson was even more influential as a writer; he is credited with inspiring Joshua Reynolds to paint and theorise with his book An Essay on the Theory of Painting. This book is credited with being “the first significant work of artistic theory in English.”

John Wood of Copmanthorpe and Hollin Hall, was a barrister at Inns Court when he acquired Hollin Hall in 1719. He married Francis Ingram in 1706, which enabled him to break the mercantile link and re-establish the family as Country Gentleman*

Francis Wood (1681-1740)(nee Nicholson). According to an old label on frame verso she was the widow of Thomas Ingrams, nephew of Henry 1^st Lord Viscount Irwin, and one of the daughters & coheiress of John Nicholson MD of York, and St. Margaret’s Westminster. Her mother was Francis Crofts of York. Francis inherited 950 acres in County Durham, including coal mines ,and property in Newcastle.

Provenance: Hollin Hall, Ripon, N. Yorkshire until at least 1988 when photographed by Country Life (John Wood ill. July 14,1988)*Private collection, West Sussex since purchased in 1999.

Literature: Country Life Magazine, (John Wood ill. July 14,1988)

Gallery notes: He relined on a new support canvas by our gallery, she unlined unlined. 

Photocopies of the Country Life feature on Hollin Hall, July 14,1988 accompany the portraits.