Michael William Sharp

[1] Sharp appeared as a portrait-painter at the Royal Academy in 1801, but he became known as a painter of small domestic scenes, usually of a humorous character.

[1] The Music Master, exhibited at the British Institution in 1809, gained a premium and was purchased by Thomas Hope.

Many of them also were engraved, such as Sunday Morning (R.A. 1820), The Sailor's Wedding (R.A. 1828), The Black Draught, and The Spoilt Child.

[1] The Connoisseur, a capriccio painting of Thomas Hope's London Duchess Street Residence and world famous art collections, featured group portraits of Thomas Hope, his wife Louisa, John Keyes, Madam Vestris, and other notables of the day along with costumed members of the Drury Lane Theater Company.

The painting was purchased at the Exhibition, by George Spencer-Churchill, the Marquis of Blandford who would later become the 5th Duke of Marlborough, and this painting would hang on display at the Duke's famous White Knights estate until 1819 when he went bankrupt and all of his possessions were sold at auction.