English School, 18th century Portrait of a lady, head and shoulders, in a blue dress, white fichu and gold cloak; Portrait of a lady, head and shoulders, in a pink dress and silver, green and gold cloak; Portrait of a gentleman, head and shoulders, in a long grey curled wig, red and blue cloak and white stock Three, oil on canvas each 73 x 60cm, oval, in period frames (3) Provenance: From a Hertfordshire country house. Condition report: Portrait of a Lady in a blue dress, Oil on canvas which appears to be lined. The canvas tension is adequate and the picture is in plane. The paint layer is slightly raised along the lines of craquelure. There is some wear and abrasion in the sitter's hair. The varnish is in a poor condition and is no longer adequately saturating the paint layer below. Areas of retouching have darkened and are visible in the lower half of the painting. Portrait of a lady in a pink dress with green wrap, Oil on canvas which has been lined. The paint layer is stable overall but has suffered from wear and abrasion in the past. There appear to be two campaigns of overpaint. The most recent appears dark under UV and is scattered across the surface, for example on the sitter's nose and below. Older overpaint is present in the flesh and is slightly grey, for example around the abraded curl of hair on the sitter's right shoulder. The varnish is clear, even and semi-glossy. There is some wear and abrasion to the gilding on the frame with a few scattered losses. Portrait of a Gentleman in a large wig, Oil on canvas which appears to have been lined. The canvas tension is good and the picture is in plane. The paint is slightly raised in areas following the age cracks but generally stable overall. The varnish has become dull, grey and cracked overtime. There are scattered retouchings across the surface including in the sitter's face. In the lower section of the painting larger retouchings have become darker over time. The gilded surface of the frame is flaking with small, scattered losses to the surface.