£ _s._ _d._ His Grace the Duke of Dorset to Ozias Humphrey, for a portrait in miniature 16 16 0 A small crayon picture of the crossing-sweeper at Hyde Park Corner with a rich gold frame and glass 21 0 0 A portrait of the Duchess of Dorset in crayons 12 12 0 ——— —— — £50 8 0
=Received= of his Grace the Duke of DORSET the sum of fifty pounds in full for the amount of the annexed bill.
It is perhaps significant of his new economy that the duke ignored the eight shillings.
With Opie, too, he was on friendly terms, and amongst the other receipts at Knole is one from Opie for the portrait of Edmund Burke for £24 3_s._ There is also a letter at Knole from Burke, who probably knew his Grace’s weakness for his house:
I am just now honoured with your Grace’s letter, and am extremely concerned that it is not in my power to accept your Grace’s most obliging invitation. I have great respect for its present possessor; and as for the place, I, who am something of a lover of all antiquities, must be a very great admirer of Knole. I think it the most interesting thing in England. It is pleasant to have preserved in one place the succession of the several tastes of ages; a pleasant habitation for the time, a grand repository of whatever has been pleasant at all times. This is not the sort of place which every banker, contractor, or Nabob can create at his pleasure.... I would not change Knole if I were the Duke of Dorset for all the foppish structures of this age.
Other receipts at Knole make it clear that the average price for a half-length was £37, while for a full-length by Reynolds the duke paid £300.
There is also a mention in a contemporary diary that the duke asked Hoppner for his portrait, which he promised should be hung next to Sir Joshua’s portrait of himself. The diary notes that Ozias Humphrey’s _Selbstbildnis_ is “still in the room, but has been removed from its place next the Reynolds.” It is “still in the room” now, a man with a delicate face and a pointed nose, on the wall with Gainsborough’s _Lord George Sackville_, Sir Joshua’s _Samuel Foote_, his _Oliver Goldsmith_, his _Peg Woffington_, and his own portrait; but the Hoppner for which the duke asked is not there, and never was; no doubt Hoppner was not sufficiently encouraged by the uncomfortable visit to send so valuable an acknowledgment.