Sir George Lindsay Holford was a landowner, army officer and courtier. He was born on 2 June 1860 at Dorchester House, Park Lane, London, the son of Robert Stayner Holford (1808-1892). After Eton Holford was commissioned into the Life Guards. In 1888 he became equerry to the Duke of Clarence, followed by equerry to the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, an extra equerry to George V and equerry-in-waiting to Queen Alexandra. He became Colonel of the Life Guards 1st battalion in 1908 and commanded its reserve battalion during the First World War. He was knighted in 1910.
On the death of his father, Holford inherited his picture collection and over 16,000 acres at Westonbirt, Gloucestershire and elsewhere. The collection was sold in two major sales by Christie, Manson and Wood. The first, of Italian masters, took place on 15 July 1927, raising over £155,000. Dutch, Flemish, French, Spanish and British pictures were sold on 17-18 May 1928 and included major works by Aelbert Cuyp, Rembrandt and Rubens. A small number from the British school included Wilson's P86B The River Dee near Eaton Hall (lot 121) and A River Scene in North Wales (lot 122, unidentified).
See further, The Holford Collection [...] at Westonbirt in Gloucestershire, 1924 and The Holford Collection, Dorchester House, 1927, esp. vol. 2, p. 39, cat. 173, pl. CLVIII & cat. 174 , pl. CLIX.
