Christie's London. A massive price for such a miniature, which only carried a top pre-sale estimate of £ 2,000 to 3,000. This was an early work (dated 1765) by Smart, who was considered as the best British miniaturist of his time. Strangely enough, the portrait of Mrs Ford, which seemed much more attractive, only fetched £ 14,100 (inclusive of buyer's premium) during the same sale. It is not always easy to understand some of the buyers' motives.
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