John Medina (British, 1721-1796), Portrait of John Hamilton, 4th Lord of Belhaven

Oil on canvas, inscribed and dated 1756 to canvas verso, retains artist and sitter information to label, presented in finely-decorated giltwood frame.

Frame dimensions 38 x 33 in.

The Estate of the late Dr. William "Bill" Webb Johnston and Mr. Charles "Chuck" Raymond West, Hillsborough, NC

Label to the verso reads: This portrait, as noted on the back of the canvas, is that of John Hamilton, 4th Lord of Belhaven and Stenton Director of the Mint in 1751, and the son of John, Lord Belhaven, Governor of the Barbadoes[sic] in 1721.

The artist, Sir John Medina, was the son of Sir Joshua Baptiste Medina, who was knighted by the Duke of Queensberry when he was Lord High Commissioner of the realm. His father was a Spaniard, a captain in the Spanish service, in the Netherlands, by name, John Medina d'Austurias, and an artist himself.

Sir John B. Medina, under the personal patronage of the Earl of Leven, painted many of the nobility of Scotland and England, notably among these being the one of the Duke of Argyle of Edinburgh.

His son, born in 1721, was also a painter of note, who spent his life according to the records, largely in Edinburgh, following his profession.

These artists, all of one family and name, are the only ones to appear on the records of early English-Spanish extraction to obtain eminence. The last of the line died in 1796, in Edinburgh.

Some restoration to canvas and likely retouch; spots of chipping to frame.

*Buyers take note, pick up will be required and is only available offsite at the residence in Hillsborough, North Carolina on March 22, March 24, March 25, and March 28 between 10am-3pm ET. See terms for more details.