With this painting you have John Penn's English seat (whose grandfather,William Penn (1644 - 1718) founded the state of Pennsylvania). In 1775, on the death of John's father john succeeded to his property which
included the moiety of the last proprietorship of the province of Pennsylvania, with hereditary governor ship, and Stokes Park which his father had purchased in 1760.

Penn spent a considerable fortune from the compensation he received from the American Government for the 26 million acres in Pennsylvania he owned on building the Stoke Park and landscaping the grounds, commissioning" Capability" Brown and Humphrey Repton. Indeed, for over a decade, the affairs of Pennsylvania were effectively managed and run from Stoke Park.

The estate was used as a private residence until sold in 1908. More recently, it has been used as a location for " Goldfinger" and "Tomorrow never dies".

Provenance:
Agnews (according to a label on reverse)

Note:
Almost certainly exhibited at the Royal Academy in London 1801, no 34.