Ozias Humphry (English, 1742-1810), Portraits of Daniel Da Costa and His Wife

Each a pastel on paper, inscribed to the versos, presented in the original giltwood frames below glass.

Sight sizes 11 x 9 in.; Frame dimensions 16 1/2 x 14 in.

Ozias Humphry was an English portrait painter who trained at the Royal Academy in London and was particularly known for his miniature portraits. He earned commissions from notable patrons in Britain and abroad, including during his travels in Italy and India, and was elected a Royal Academician in 1791.

Among his sitters were Daniel da Costa (1761–1822) and his wife, Ribca (Rebecca) Israel Ricardo (1768–1841), an aristocratic Portuguese Sephardic Jewish couple residing in the Netherlands. The couple were part of a distinguished family connected to aristocratic circles. Daniel was a relative of Uriel Acosta, a prominent merchant in the city of Amsterdam. Their son, Isaäc da Costa (1798–1860), became a prominent Dutch poet, historian, and theologian who converted from Judaism to Christianity and emerged as a leader of the Réveil movement.

Spotting to the sheets; the male portrait with degradation to reverse glass.