John Partridge, British 1790-1872- The Lady Constantia Lowther aged five; oil on canvas, signed and inscribed 'Constantia Lowther / J. Partridge pinxt.' verso, further inscribed to the stretcher 'THE COLLECTION OF LORD LONSDALE. / NO. 30', painted inventory number '30' (lower left), 103 x 127.5 cm. Provenance: the collection of Lord Lonsdale, according to the inscription on the reverse. Private Collection, UK. Note: Partridge, born in Glasgow in 1790, initially studied under Thomas Philips RA (1770-1845) before entering the Royal Academy Schools in 1816. Between 1823-27 he travelled to Italy to further his development, and soon after returning to London, moved to Brook Street, off Grosvenor Square, in order to be closer to a host of wealthy patrons and sitters. Partridge gained royal patronage in 1836 through a commission from King Leopold I of Belgium (1790-1865). This led to an invitation in 1838 to paint Queen Victoria (1819-1901), which in turn led to further successive paintings of the Queen and of Prince Albert (1819-1861), and in 1843, he became appointed Portrait Painter Extraordinary to both Her Majesty and Prince Albert. The present portrait of Lady Constantia Lowther (1831-1864), aged five, painted in 1836, was commissioned by her father The Honourable Henry Cecil Lowther DL JP (1790-1867), a Conservative politician and second son to William Lowther (1757-1844), 1st Earl of Lonsdale.