Circle of Robert Pine (1730-1788) Portrait of Aaron Ostler, head and shoulders, in a red jacket and white stock Oil on canvas 75 x 62cm Provenance: Wood Hall, Arkesden, Essex. Aaron Ostler was born in about 1757 in Long Melford, Suffolk. His family were well-known as shopkeepers and blacksmiths in both Long Melford and Sudbury, Suffolk. He and his wife, Hannah (nee Trotman), had ten children. The Bury and Norwich Post records on 16th January 1850: 'On Tuesday evening the tenants of Colonel Bence of Kentwell dined at the Bull Inn in Long Melford. Mr Appleton the agent took the chair and the health of Colonel Bence was drunk and also that of Aaron Ostler, the oldest tenant on the estate. Mr Ostler returned the thanks and concluded with a toast Plough and flail, fleece and sail, may landlords flourish and tenants never fail'. Condition report: Oil on canvas which is unlined. The canvas tension is poor and there are horizontal undulations in the lower half of the painting. There is a hole in the lower right quadrant which has not been repaired from the reverse but has been retouched. The paint layer is lifting slightly following the lines of the age cracks. There are localised areas of paint loss. There are localised areas of retouching. The varnish is clear and even, old residues of dirt are caught in the paint layer emphasising the texture of the canvas. Above the sitter's left shoulder is an areas of abrasion which possibly has some overpaint. There are scattered accretions across the surface. The non-period plaster frame has damages to the moulding along the lower edge and scattered losses to the gilding.