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Commissioned by Richard Hippisley Coxe (1742-1786) of Ston Easton, Somerset, from Thomas Beach (1738-1806), the artist [1]; by descent to his brother Henry Hippisley Coxe (1748-1795) of Ston Easton, Somerset [a]; by descent to his nephew Reverend Henry Hippisley (1776-1838), of Lambourn Place, Berkshire; by descent to his son John Hippisley (1804-1898) of Ston Easton, Somerset ; by descent to his grandson Commander Richard John Baynton Hippisley (1865-1956) of Ston Easton [2]; by descent to his son John Preston Hippisley (1905-1983); purchased at auction by Bernard Cayzer (1914-1981), Parish’s House, Timsbury, Somerset, at Powell and Powell, 30 Milsom Street, Bath, 27-30 November 1956 (lot 700); by whom gifted to Ston Easton on his death; acquired by Peter (1939-2010) and Christine Smedley (née Howard), Ston Easton, Somerset in 1981 [3] [b]; purchased by Von Essen Hotels in 2000 [4] [c]; purchased by Hamilton Bradshaw Private Equity in 2012 [5] [d]; purchased by Von Essen Hotels in 2013 [6] [e]; acquired by Libertas Finance [f]; purchased by Haldane Fine Art, London by 2022 [g]; acquired by Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, 2023.

Notes:
[1] Inscribed on the letter in the lower left of the painting: “For | R. H. Coxe Esq | at Peamore”.

[2] It seems that the picture was in the collection of Commander Richard John Baynton Hippisley, as he assumed ownership of Ston Easton following his grandfather’s death, inheriting all the pictures therein. However, Mowbray Aston Green’s ‘The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath’ noted somewhat confusingly that the work belonged to Richard’s uncle, Henry Edward Hippisley, but incorrectly identifies him as a resident of Ston Easton.

[3] Michael Thompson-Noel, writing for the Financial Times, noted in an article from May 9, 1987 (see [b]), that the work was at Ston Easton Park, Somerset, and that the estate was owned by Peter and Christine Smedley. Peter and Christine Smedley purchased the house in 1977, and converted it into a hotel in 1982.

[4] The Von Essen Hotel group acquired the painting as part of the estate in 2000.

[5] The private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw acquired the painting as part of the estate in 2012.

[6] The Von Essen group reacquired the painting and the estate in 2013.

Citations:
[a] A.M Broadley, “Thomas Beach ‘of Bath’” in Mowbray A. Green, The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath. Bath, 1904, pp. 224

[b] Michael Thompson-Noel “A glimpse below stairs.” Financial Times, Saturday May 9 1987 https://archive.org/details/FinancialTimes1987UKEnglish/May%2010%201987%2C%20Financial%20Times%2C%20%2330229%2C%20UK%20%28en%29/page/n35/mode/2up?q=%22Ston+Easton%22+%22Thomas+Beach%22

[c] David Harris, “Ston Easton sold for £4m” The Caterer, 30 June 2000 https://www.thecaterer.com/archive/ston-easton-sold-for-4m

[d] Luke Nicholls, “TV Dragon James Caan wraps up sale of Von Essen’s hotel empire” Restaurant 12 September 2012 https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2012/09/13/TV-Dragon-James-Caan-wraps-up-sale-of-Von-Essen-s-hotel-empire

[e] Katherine Price, “Ston Easton Park on the market for £6m” The Caterer, 07 December 2021 https://www.thecaterer.com/news/ston-easton-park-market-six-million

[f] From the dealer’s catalog essay provided by Haldane Fine Art

[g] Ibid