Portrait of John Ballantyne RSA, late Captain, Commanding EAV
Artist: Pettie, John, RA HRSA · 1839-1893
Clearly the canvas was supplied by Lechertier Barbe & Co. Much of the canvas they sold was French which they imported, marked and sold under their own name.
Turning to the role of Roberson the situation is less certain. Roberson undertook services for artists, such as stretching their own canvas and restoring pictures. One possibility would be that your picture was altered in size by the artist or a third party and then re-stretched. If so, physical examination of the turnover might be informative. I agree that the combination of the two suppliers is intriguing. You might have a look at the Roberson ledgers for c.1880 at the Hamilton Kerr. (extract from e-mail exchange between RSA and NPG Research Database, 2019)
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Object data
Date 1880 Accession 1995.152 Materials Support canvas Dimensions 112cm x 72.8cm x 136.2cm x 97.3cm Medium Paint, oil -
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