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July 30th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Updated
A rare portrait by a Tasmanian convict is expected to create competition between public institutions when it is auctioned in Melbourne next month.
The watercolour painted in 1846 by Thomas Wainewright depicts Thomas Giblin, a one-time director of the Bank of Van Diemen’s Land.
The two Thomases left a considerable mark on Tasmanian history but they had vastly different beginnings in the colony.
According to Sotheby’s Australia by the time the painting was commissioned, the former convict and criminal Thomas Waineright had become the most accomplished portrait painter of the day.
He was transported to Van Diemen’s Land for forgery and soon gained a reputation as a model prisoner, allowing him to paint respected members of the Hobart community.
Thomas Giblin was involved in developing Tasmanian mining and held many positions including chairman of the board of the Hobart Town Gas Company and the Trustee of the Public Library.
The Chairman of Sotheby’s Australia Geoffrey Smith said the portrait has been rediscovered in a private collection in Scotland.
“It’s rare that a work of such quality appears in the market,” Mr Smith said.
“There are 56 surviving (Thomas Wainewright) Australian portraits, the majority are held in public collections or by descendants of the sitters”.
The highest price achieved by Sotheby’s for a Thomas Wainewright work was $102,000.
Mr Smith said the $40,000 to $60,000 estimate for the portrait of Thomas Giblin was conservative.
It will be auctioned in Melbourne on August 27th.
Topics:
art-history,
history,
hobart-7000
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Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-30/convict-painting-a-rare-find/4854488
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