Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (c. 1699-11 April 1755, Bath) was the son of Edward Harley and his wife Sarah Foley. His paternal grandfather was Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, and so when Robert's son (Edward's cousin) died in 1741 without male issue, Edward succeeded to his title of Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. One of his first acts on succeeding was to auction off his predecessor's art collection through the auctioneer Cock, at a sale held under the Piazza, Covent Garden, on 8 March 1741/2 and the five following days, with six more days being required by
the coins. Nearly all the leading men of the day, including Horace Walpole, attended or were represented at this sale, and
the prices varied from five shillings for an anonymous bishop's "head" to 165 guineas for Vandyck's group of "Sir Kenelm Digby, lady, and son".
