Possibly Peter Randolph (1717-1767)
Date1755-1758
Attributed to
John Wollaston (ca. 1710-ca. 1767)
OriginAmerica, Virginia
MediumPainting: oil on canvas. Frame: wood, paint, gesso, gold leaf.
DimensionsUnframed: 36 1/2 x 29 1/2in. (92.7 x 74.9cm) and Framed: 41 x 33 3/4in.
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1975-203,A&B
DescriptionPainting, half-length portrait of a man standing, body turned 3/4 sinister, head and eyes to viewer. Subject's left hand tucked in waistcoat, right proper elbow rests on ledge, hand points to lower left. Subject wears brown coat with wide cuffs bearing three buttons each. White shirt with single neck ruffle, plain wide ruffles at wrists. Subject wears gray wig with curls to shoulders. Brown eyes. Plain brown background. Gilt frame acquired with painting removed; antique black molded frame with gold liner substituted.ProvenanceCWF acquired the painting from the estate of Lulie Greenhow Johnston (Mrs. W. ap Catesby) Jones. By oral tradition the family believed the subject to be Peyton Randolph. Attempts to discover when the portrait entered the Johnston branch of the family resulted in Mrs. Jones's statement (see file) regarding the death of William B. Randolph of Chatsworth, whom she believed gave her great grandmother the portrait. The portrait was offered to CWF as "William Randolph of Chatsworth." Because William Randolph of Chatsworth was born too late to have been painted by Wollaston as a mature man, the portrait was assumed to be William Randolph III of Wilton (1723-1761). This attribution became suspect after comparison of the portrait to the larger portrait of Peter Randolph of Chatsworth owned by the Carter family at Shirley Plantation. The Carter family portrait has a strong provenance as Peter of Chatsworth; Peter's son Robert married Elizabeth Carter of Shirley. The faces in the two portraits are identical, although the version at CWF is smaller. A third Wollaston portrait of Peter of Chatsworth is in the collection of the Virginia Historical Society, also in the 36" x 28" format. Mrs. Jones's statement about her great grandmother's receipt of the portrait may be accurate, but attempts by this cataloger to determine the connection between William B. Randolph and Ann Mutter Macon Johnston were not successful. It is equally plausible that the portrait was owned by Peter's sister Mary Randolph Price (1718 - ?), a direct ancestor of Mrs. Jones's husband.
