British Portraits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin v 57 No 1 Summer 1999

8/13/2019 British Portraits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin v 57 No 1 Summer 1999

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DIRECTOR'S NOTEFrom aboutI900 until 1930 eighteenth-centuryBritishportraitswere in vogue amongAmericancollectors. The market orthepictureswas fos-teredby theart-dealing irmsof Duveen BrothersandM.KnoedlerandCompany.The eleganceofthe sitters,relatively argescaleof the canvases,andundemanding conographysuited the housesof thenew moneyedclasses.The Frick Collectionembodies he styleof theera.Perhaps orthis rea-son it haslongbeengeneralmuseumpractice ohangBritishportraits n periodrooms-the pub-lic equivalentof privatediningordrawingrooms.Such nstallationsalsosuggestthehabitsof theoriginalowners,who lived surroundedby imagesof theirspouses, offspring,and ancestors.At theMetropolitanMuseumBritishportraitsare dis-playednot only in the maingalleriesand in periodrooms butalso in otherareas,some of whichare not opento thepublic.This Bulletin,whichincludespaintingsfrom the sixteenthcenturythroughtheGeorgianera,affordsanopportunityto appreciate collection that s widelydispersedthroughout hebuilding.At the Museum,aselsewhere n this country,Britishportraitures well representedby compari-son with landscapes,genre,or sportingsubjects.(The Yale CenterforBritishArt, in New Haven,is anexception.)Wehavesplendid ikenessesbymostof theleading painters romHans Holbeinto ThomasLawrence,but ourdisplayof Britishart cannotdo justiceto theworks of WilliamHogarth,GeorgeStubbs,J.M. W.Turner,RichardWilson, or Joseph Wrightof Derby, among

Thispublicationwas madepossible n partbyThe ChristianHumannFoundation.TheMetropolitanMuseum of Art BulletinSummer 999Volume LVII, Number i (ISSN 0026-1521)Publishedquarterly I999by The MetropolitanMuseumofArt, Iooo Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10028-0198Periodicalspostage paidat New York,N.Y.,and AdditionalMailingOffices. TheMetropolitanMuseumof ArtBulletin sprovidedas a benefit o Museummembersandis availablebysubscription. ubscriptions25.00 a year. Singlecopies$8.95.Fourweeks'noticerequired orchangeof address.POST-MASTER:Send addresschanges o MembershipDepartment,The MetropolitanMuseumof Art, iooo FifthAvenue,NewYork,N.Y. 10028-0198. Back ssuesavailableon microfilm romUniversityMicrofilms, 00N. ZeebRoad,AnnArbor,Mich.48106.Volumes -xxxvii (1905-1942)availableas clothboundreprint et or as individualyearlyvolumes fromAyerCompany

others.A few majorportraitistsare alsoabsent,notablythe ScottishartistAllanRamsayandtheGerman-bornJohannZoffany,who waspatron-izedby King GeorgeIII andQueenCharlotte.Of thetwenty-eight paintings llustrated,only two werepurchased:HenryFrederick,Princeof Wales,by Robert Peake he Elder, n1944,and RichardHumphreys,y JohnHoppner,in 1953.The first to enter the collection was TheHonorableHenryFane withHis Guardians,yJoshuaReynolds,thegift of JuniusS. Morgan n1887.The balance(of twenty-fivepictures)wasgiven orbequeathedby eighteendifferentdonors,includingseveral trusteesas well as majorbenefactorsof the Museum:Jules Bache,Mrs.Harry Payne Bingham,Mr.and Mrs.EdwardS.Harkness,HenryG. Marquand,ColonelJacobRuppert,andWilliam K. Vanderbilt.TheMuseumalso has assembleda significantholdingof Britishportraitminiatures.Of the thirteenillustratedhere,three of themost important twoby Nicholas HilliardandJohnHoskins'sDr.BrianWalton) oncebelongedto the distinguishedcollection formedby J.PierpontMorgan.Thetextof thisBulletin sby KatharineBaetjer,curatorof EuropeanPaintings,who is also theauthorof European aintings n TheMetropolitanMuseumof Art,a summarycatalogueof ourper-manentcollection. Her enthusiasm or the topicand her meticulousresearch reevidenthere as shediscusses hesubjectsof theportraits ndthelivesandworks of the artistswho painted hem.

Philippe de Montebello, DIRECTOR

Publishers nc., o5NorthwesternDrive Io, Salem,N.H. 03079,or from the Museum,Box700,MiddleVillage,N.Y. II379.GeneralManager of Publications:John P. O'NeillEditor in Chief of the BULLETIN:oan HoltAssociate Editor: Tonia L. PayneProduction:oanHolt andPeterAntonyDesign:EmsworthDesignAll photographs,unlessotherwisenoted,areby JuanTrujilloofThe PhotographStudioof The MetropolitanMuseumof Art.Frontandback covers:Detailsof Eli1abeth arren, y SirThomasLawrence see p. 65). Insidefrontand backcovers:Details of The HonorableHenry Fane with His Guardians(seepp. 28-29) and Captain GeorgeK. H. Coussmaker,by Sir JoshuaReynolds see p. 32).Titlepage:Detailof TheHonorableMrs.LewisThomasWatson, y SirJoshuaReynolds see p. 33)

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INTRODUCTION

Portraiture hasplayed unique ole nGreatBritainandespecially n England,dominating heartsof paintingandsculpturesince theRenaissance.The sixteenthcenturysawthe artsbrought nto theserviceof theascendantTudors,declaiming heirlegiti-macyandpower,while atthesame time theReformation auseda drasticdeclinein com-missionsforreligious mages.A relativelystablemonarchy n concertwith apowerfullandedaristocracyprovidedcontinuity,togetherwith thepatronage hat fueledagrowingmarket.The portraitminiaturelourishedn GreatBritain.Reproductions f portraits onceivedinothermediaand caricaturesccounted or asignificantpercentageof theprintsmadeforsaleor as book illustrations.Ceramics, eversepaintingson glass,silhouettes,coins, medals,and needleworkbore likenesses.London sNational PortraitGallerywas thefirstof itskind.Suchimages n exceptionally argenum-bersfiguredprominentlynEnglish nteriors,wheretheywerearrangedo conveydomesticas wellaspoliticalanddynasticmessages.There is muchwrittenand visual evi-denceto show thatby theeighteenthcenturythepracticesassociatedwithportraiture adbeengraduallycodified, n termsdescribedbrieflybelow. Customdictated hatthe sittervisit theartist n thestudio,whichby prefer-ence wasin anaccessible, ashionableLondonlocation. Often therewasalsoagallerywherefinishedworks weredisplayed o prospectiveclients. Artist shouses weremeeting placesforcelebrities rom all classes of society.Portraitists f thefirstrankwerevery busymen(orwomen,butof thelatter herewerefew). To sustain heirpopularity, heyhad

tobe availablendemand,workingonghours.Manywhowouldhavepreferredthergenres-such ashistorypainting rland-scape-were forced oturn oportraitureomake living.Portraitpainters ssembledollections fdrawings ndprints,materialshatwereasource f inspirationnd,morespecifically,provided repertoryromwhichmotifs ouldbeselectedbyartist rclient.Agreementadtobe reached n the sizeof thepicture,hecostume, erhapshesetting, nd heprice.Themostcommonpractice,orwhich everalmeetingsweretypically equired, as or heartistopaintasketch f thehead rom ife.Assittings re edious, nartistwho couldconversewithandentertain isclientmean-whilemayhavehadgreateruccess.A draw-ingof theheadwithcolornotes,which ouldbecompletedn amuch horterime,some-times erved hepurposenstead.Aninfluen-tialpaintermighthavearole ndeterminingthecostume obe worn.Inthecaseof anexceptionallyrominentrbusyclient, heclothesandjewelsmightbelent othe studio.Assistantsrmodels ftenposed orsecondaryparts f apicture, ndassistants erealsoemployednpainting rapery,till ifes,andbackgrounds.eplicas ndvariantswerenotregardedstheyaretoday; s acorollary,neitherwastheprimacy f theoriginalinvention. ortraits eresometimesetainedbytheartist nanticipationf theneed omultiplyheimageor wereborrowed ackforthesamepurpose.Aportrait asgenerally nderstoodo bealikeness f an ndividualnhisorherownguise asopposedoabiblical,mythological,orsomeother ontext) ndanexpressionf

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character.The whole was greater hanthesumof itsparts:accurately ranscribinghesitter s eatureswasnot necessarilymoreimportant hansuggestingcharacteristicsappropriateo his orherage, sex,politicalrole, or socialposition.A degreeof compli-ance was expectedof the artist,as theclient svanitymightdictatecertainflatteringadjust-ments. There were many judges: he individ-ualportrayed, amily,friends,and,in theeighteenthcentury, hepressandpopulaceattending heexhibitionswhereworks of artweredisplayed.To moderneyes thestiff,bulkyEliza-bethancostumesmayseem to overwhelm hecourtierwho worethem. In the Stuarterastandards f beautywere so strictlyadheredto that t is sometimesdifficult o distinguishone aristocraticwomanfromanother.Bycontrast,Georgianportraitureftenconveyedthe ephemeral a fleetingglance,a silk skirttrailingoverthegrass)whileengagingtheobserver.Although ntended orpublicdisplay,Lawrence sElijabethFarrencover)isperhapsmore ntimate hanafamilyphotograph.

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BRITISH PORTRAITS

HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER(1497/98-1543)Portraitof a Man in a Red CapOil on wood; overall,with engagedframe, diam. 5 in. (12.7 cm); paintedsurface, diam. 33/4 in. (9-5 cm)Inscribed (on doublet): H[R(?)]Bequestof MaryStillmanHarkness,1950 (50.I45.24)

rawingon works n the MetropolitanMuseum's permanent collection, thisBulletin addresses the evolution of portraitpainting in England over three centuries.The phrase "portrait painting in England" isused advisedly because in the sixteenth andseventeenth centuries many portraitists whoworked there were not native born. Duringthe reign of Henry VIII ( 509-47) the mostdistinguished artist in London was HansHolbein the Younger, a native of Augsburgwho matured in Basel as a painter, draftsman,and designer of prints. In the late summeror early autumn of 1526, impelled by eco-nomic necessity, Holbein arrived in Londonbearing a letter of introduction from theSwiss philosopher Desiderius Erasmus to thescholar and statesman Sir Thomas More, whocommissioned a half-length portrait of him-self (Frick Collection, New York) and a

group portraitof the membersof his house-hold,whichunfortunatelyhas not survived.Sir Thomas was anexceptionallywell placedpatron:He servedsuccessivelyas a privycouncillor,as speakerof the House of Com-mons, and from 1529 as lord chancellor. Later,however,forhis refusal o recognize HenryVIIIas head of the Churchof England,More,a RomanCatholic,was convictedoftreasonand executed n 1535.

By August1528Holbeinreturned o hisfamilyin Basel.Havingboughtahouse,heset to workon commissions eftunfinished.Despitestrenuouseffortson thepartof thecity councilto keephimthere,he was backinEnglandby the summerof 1532.Holbeinmade one morevisit to Basel,in 1538,anddiedin Londonin November1543. Manyofthepatronsof Holbein'sfirstEnglishperiodweredisgracedorhad diedby the time he


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HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGERWilliam Roper (1493/94-1578) andMargaretMore (I505-1544), Mrs. RoperVellum on card(the latter a playingcard),diam. (each) i3/4 in. (45 mm)Inscribed(respectively, n gold):AN ETATIS VAE XLII * andA?ETATIS XXXRogers Fund, I950 (50.69.I,.2)

returned. Among his most important newclients were the German merchants of theHanseatic League, for whom he painted anumber of grave and richly informative por-traits, two of which (acc. nos. 49.7.29 and50.I35.4) are in the Museum's collection. Asthe royal accounts for the I53os are incom-plete, it is not known when Holbein enteredHenry VIII's service. In 1536he was firstrecorded as one of the king's painters, and in1537he completed a mural in Whitehall Palacecelebrating the ascendancy of the Tudordynasty. This wall painting showed HenryVIII, lifesize and full-length, with his wifeJane Seymour and his parents, Henry VII

and Elizabeth of York. Though the muralwas destroyed when Whitehall burned inI698, the design survives in two copies, asdoes the portrait of the king in the form ofHolbein's original cartoon (National PortraitGallery, London, p. io).

Holbein demonstrated a gift for charac-terization while still in his teens. By 1526 hehad achieved unparalleled mastery of themeans by which to create the illusion of thephysical presence of the sitter. He was famil-iarwith German, north Italian, French, andNetherlandish art:his small portrait roundelsin oils must have been inspired also by medalsand antique coins. The Museum's roundelbears Henry VIII's monogram, H[enricus][Rex (?)], and was probably painted in themid-I53os (p. 5). From an early age Holbein'spractice was to begin with a head-and-shoulders drawing of his subject from life.The features and hair were fully worked up,while only the outlines of the costume wereindicated. The drawings often included colornotes in addition to details of jewelry anddrapery. Holbein's habits as a draftsman ledhim to make large preparatory sketches for


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even heminiatureshatdate o hisfinaldecadenLondon.Helearnedhishighlyspecializedrt orm romLucasHornebolte(1490/95?-I544) f Ghent, ne of the nven-torsof thegenre,whowaspaintingminia-tures at Henry VIII's court as early as 1525.The unknown sitterfor theroundel noils wearsa doubletbearing hemonogramH[R?] nblackwithgold stitching, ndicatingthat he was in serviceto theking. Thoughthepicture s worn, theelaborategold calligra-phy servesasa reminderof Holbein'sskill asaprintdesigner.The collar of theman'sshirt,measuringno morethan aninchacross,is embroideredwitha repeatingpatternofleavesand dots in two rows; ts rufflededge isbound,and t is loosely fastenedwith blackand whitestrings, he endsof which areunraveled.Undermagnificationheindivid-ualthreadscanbe counted. The sitter'seye-browsarethick;hisbroadcheek,doublechin,and neckshow thegrayshadowof abeard. Nonethelesstheabundantdetail doesnot detract romour senseof theman,hisheavy body,and intentexpression.This portrait s on wood, itscarvedgiltframeforminganintegralpart.The blackback is scoredwith threeconcentriccircles.The reverseand theedge show wear due tohandling,while aprojectingrim,cutby hand,musthavebeen intended o receiveanow-lost lid. There is aprecedent orthis format:a roundelof the same sizerepresentingheGermantheologianandreformerPhilippMelanchthon,witha decorative id that spaintedand inscribedon the insideby Hol-bein(NiedersachsischesLandesgalerie,Han-nover).Additionally,Holbein'sportraitsofan older court officialand his wife (Kunsthis-torischesMuseum,Vienna)seem to havebeenpairedoriginallyas theelementsof aslightly largerroundbox. The sitterforthemaleportrait n Viennawearsa coat embroi-deredwith the letters HRin full;bothwerepainted n 1534,whichsuggestsanapproxi-mate dateforourpicture.The format,scale,andsolidblue back-

portraitminiatures.Smallpictures n closingboxes,likeminiatures,were intended o beportableandnotmeantforpermanentdis-play.While it is possiblethatHolbein sawHornebolte's miniaturesduringhis firstvisitto London,he didnot thentryhis hand atthem. Of some fourteensuch worksconfi-dentlyattributedo him,nonecanbe securelydatedbefore I535.The Roperminiatures(opposite),which areamongtheearliest,demonstrate he assurancewith which hehandled henew medium,adapting he con-vincingnaturalism f his stylein oils tominutedepictions nwatercolorandgouache.

MargaretRoperwas the eldest andfavoritechildof Sir ThomasMore. Holbeininscribed her age as thirty. In I52 she hadmarried he Kentish andownerandlawyerWilliamRoper,shown here at forty-two.Hewas to write More'sbiography.HolbeinpaintedMargaret nd her hus-bandbetween October1535 ndOctober1536,not long afterSirThomasMore's deathon July 7, I535.Roper is soberly dressed in acloak with a furcollarovera tunic. Hiswifewearsagownwithturned-back uffsand afurtippet.Her hair s concealedby crossedbands,anembroideredundercap,and a hoodof blackvelvetwith a stiffenedbrocadeddamask rame.This elaborateheadgeardrawsattention o herthin,sorrowfulface.Her hollow eyesbear witness to thesufferingshe endured n thelong monthsof herfather'simprisonment nd at the time of hisexecution.MargaretRoperrevealsherself totheviewerin the role of thedaughterof amartyr, heguise inwhich,perhaps, hewishedto be remembered.

Duringthe reignof QueenElizabeth(I558-I603), Holbein was succeeded byNicholasHilliard,anexceptionallygiftedminiaturist.However,untilAnthonyvanDyckarrivedatthe courtof JamesI in I620, nopaintercouldmatchHolbein'sachievements.

ground of the Man in a Red Caprelate it to


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NICHOLAS HILLIARD (I547-I619)Portraitof a YoungMan,ProbablyRobertDevereux (I566-I60o),SecondEarl of EssexVellum aidon card,i %x 3/ in. (40 x 33mm)Dated andinscribed(edge, in gold):Ano *Dni 1588 .*EtatisSuae 22 ?FletcherFund, 1935 35.89.4)

R obert Devereuxwas born in 1566,andhis age, twenty-two, accords with theminiature's date. Thirty years younger thanQueen Elizabeth I, he was for many years herfavorite, but he overstepped his bounds,attempted to raise a rebellion, and was exe-cuted as a traitor in I60o. Hilliard was largelyself-taught. He claimed to have been influ-enced by Holbein, but his restrained model-ing and avoidance of shadows give hisminiatures a very different effect. He advo-cated copying the engravings of AlbrechtDiirer (I47I-I 528), whose tensile line headapted to decorative purposes. Hilliardbrought clarity, elegance, and grace to minia-ture painting, imbuing his work with thepoetry and gallantry of the Elizabethan era.

NICHOLAS HILLIARDPortraitof a WomanVellum, I7/8 X /2 in. (47 x 39 mm)Dated (leftedge, in gold): 1597FletcherFund, 1935 35.89.2)

n theprecisionandfinesseof itshandlingthe miniaturebears witness to Hilliard'straining as a goldsmith. The white pigmentdescribing the starched threads of the laceruff can be seen under magnification to pro-ject in relief. The bodice and sleeves areembroidered in blue and green and sprinkledwith gold tags, and the sitterwears an abun-dance of jewels. Her pallor would have beenfashionable at Queen Elizabeth's court andwas perhaps cosmetically enhanced, but herbroad cheeks, double chin, and the mole aboveher lip are uniquely her own.


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ROBERT PEAKE THE ELDER(active by 1576, died I619)Henry Frederick (I 594-1612),Prince of Wales, and SirJohnHarington ( 592- 1614)Oil on canvas, 79 12 X 58 in. (201.9 XI47.3 cm)Dated and inscribed:(center left) 1603 / fe / E * 1i;(lowerleft) SirJohnHarrington.;(upperright) I603 / fe / AL 9 ;(lower right)Henry FrederickPrinceof WalesSon / of KingJamesthe IstPurchase,JosephPulitzerBequest,I944 (44.27)

he firstof the Stuartmonarchs o ascendthe English throne was James VI of

Scotland, who succeeded as James I at thedeath of Queen Elizabeth I in I603. Thevisual arts under the Tudors had been devotedprimarily to the enhancement of kingship,and James I, who was not much interested inpainting, retained various artists in service forthe same purpose, thus preserving an iconictradition of representation that was extremelyold-fashioned by Continental standards.Robert Peake the Elder was establishedas a portraitistby the end of the i58os. Hebecame principal painter to James'sson Henry

Frederick, prince of Wales, in 1604 andenjoyed a brief period of importance as imagemaker to the brilliant and precocious Henryuntil the prince's untimely death at eighteenin 1612. The double portrait of Henry withSir John Harington (above) includes not onlythe date 1603 but also the sitters' ages (nineand eleven, respectively), which Peakepainted as if carved on the tree trunk at leftand the branch in the upper right corner. Theprince's coat of arms is suspended from atwig above his sword arm, while Sir John'shangs above his left shoulder.On April 23, I603, in the course of his


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royal progress from Scotland, James I visitedSir John Harington's father and was enter-tained by him with an afternoon of stag hunt-ing. After the coronation, which took place inJuly, the king's daughter, Princess Elizabeth,was brought to England and entrusted to thecare of the same Lord and Lady Harington,with whom she lived at Coombe Abbey, nearCoventry, from August I603 until i6o8. Sinceno payments for the double portrait nor for acompanion picture representing PrincessElizabeth (National Maritime Museum,Greenwich) have been found in the royalaccounts, it is likely that the commissionscame from the Haringtons, who thus com-memorated their charge of the princess andthe close friendship then being formedbetween their son and the prince of Wales.The rider mastering his horse is a symbolof rulership, and the dismounted equestrianportrait, of which this is an early example,would endure over the centuries as a populartype in English art (see p. 32). The specificsource, however, is TurbervilesBooke ofHunting, published in 1576 in an Englishtranslation. Henry possessed in abundancethe equine and hunting skills expected of aRenaissance prince. The stag was the noblestof quarries, and in England the hunt, accord-ing to Turbervile's translator, concludedwith the ritual illustrated here:

The dearebeing layd uponhis backe, thePrince, chiefe, or such as they shall appoint,commesto it: And the chiefe huntsman(kneeling, if it be to a prince) doth holde theDeare by theforefoote, whiles the Prince orchief; cut a slyt drawnalongst the brysket....This is done to see thegoodnesseof theflesh,and howe thickeit is.

Allowing for the sheathing of the sword,the prince's bold pose reflects the patterndevised by Holbein in i537 for Henry VIII'sportrait in the Whitehall mural (right) andemployed by his followers for portraits ofHenry's successor, Edward VI. The patch-work of bright colors and the skeins of lace-like gold and silver-gilt embroidery clinginsistently to the surface of the canvas, and

theflatfigures,whicharedevoidof model-ing, resemble hoseon playingcards.The useof averdantandquitenaturalisticlandscapebackgrounds,by contrast, nnovative,demonstratinghecontinuing nfluenceofNetherlandishart.A yearor two later Peakepainteda slightly updatedversionof thisdoubleportrait, n whichPrinceHenryisattended nsteadby RobertDevereux,thirdearl of Essex (Royal Collection).In recentyearsthe close studyof six-teenth-centuryEnglishportraitshas madepossibleanumberof reattributions, mongwhichis anotherPeake(opposite),formerlyascribed in error to Marcus Gheeraerts theYounger I56I-I636), anativeof Brugestrained in the Flemish tradition in London.The sitter, who had been falsely identified asQueen Elizabeth I in a later inscription that

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ROBERT PEAKE THE ELDERPrincess Eli abeth (1596- 662),Later Queenof BohemiaOil on canvas, 603/4 X 31/4 in.(I54-3 X 79.4 cm)Inscribed on book):No Tablet

Forthy brestThy Chr[ist]ianmothergives hirDattere WhatJewellFits hirbest A boke notbig but yet therin Some hiddenVertu s So christSo christProcur.yougracewithGod AndGive youendles[bliss(?)]Gift of Kate T. Davison, in memoryof her husband,Henry Pomeroy

Davison, 1951 (51.194.1)

Opposite.HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGERHenry VIII andHenry VII, 1537Fragmentof a cartoonfortheWhitehallmuralBy courtesyof the NationalPortraitGallery,London

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Details, opposite and right, ofROBERT PEAKE THE ELDERPrincess Elizabeth (1596-I662),Later Queenof Bohemia

was mostlyremoved, s Elizabeth, heyoungersisterof PrinceHenryandof thefutureCharles . The presumptionhatshewaspaintedataboutten,while stillin the careof Lord andLady Harington, s perhapsstrengthenedby the factthat, ike theportraitof herbrother, his one remainedwith theirdescendantsatWroxtonAbbeyuntil1914.Removalof laterrepaintinghas revealed hesamedelicatelyshaped ace and ratherpoignant expression hatcharacterizeminia-turesof herby Nicholas Hilliardand IsaacOliver(ca. I565?-I617).The twiningbranchesof leavesandflowerson her dressareduplicatedn atighterpatternon a rareJacobeaninenjacketembroideredwithsilk(Victoriaand AlbertMuseum,London),which was reportedlywornin theyearsI61I-20. Theyoungprincess oldsabook nherrighthand(above).The painted extbeginswith a reference o a"tablet,"whichwould have beenunderstood o referto aflat,ortable-cut, ewel.The chain aroundherbodiceis entirelycomposedof diamondsofthis sort.The lines of versesuggestthatinsteadof a jewelthe RomanCatholic

QueenAnne had offered her absentdaughterablessingin the form of a devotionaltext.PrincessElizabethwas marriedwithgreatceremony in 1613to Frederick V (1596-I632),electorpalatine, he mosteligibleProtestantin continentalEurope,anddepartedwithher husband orHeidelberg. n 1619Frederickwas electedkingof Bohemia; n 1620 theBohemiansweredefeatedby the armiesofEmperorFerdinand I, and FrederickandElizabeth,havinglostboththekingdomandthePalatinate,becameroyal refugees.Afterthe Restorationof CharlesII to the throneinI66oElizabeth, he so-called WinterQueen,returned o England,whereshe died in 1662.

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an Dyck, born n Antwerp,wasregis-tered as a master n the painters'guildtherein i618, andRubens,writingin thesameyear,describedhim as his best pupil.From October 1620 until February 1621 Van

Dyck was in England.Laterhe workedforlong periodsin AntwerpandGenoa andtraveledwidely in Italy. Despite his successat home he moved to Londonby April 1632.Knightedby CharlesI in July,VanDyck wasnamed his principalpainter.He was on theContinent in I634-35 and in I640-4I, but hissecondEnglish sojournwas the most settledof his life. He died in Londonat forty-two.VanDyck washigh-strung,restive,bril-liant,and a man of greatpersonalrefinement.Trained n the studioof Rubensandby theexampleof Titian,he was in a sensetoo pre-cociousto be otherthanself-taught.Althoughmainlyactiveasaportraitist,he alsopaintedreligiousandmythologicalpictures,andthefew drawingsand watercolorsof landscapesandplants hatsurviveare freshandcloselyobserved.VanDyck'sautographportraits-penetrating, uave,elegant,and assured nhandling-stand apart n eloquentwitnesstotheageof theBaroque.Admiration orhisworkneverdimmed.He inspiredgenerationsof Englishportraitists, otablyLely (seepp.17, 21) andGainsborough seep. 36).

JamesStuart,dukeof Lennox(opposite),descended rom an ancientfamilycloselyalliedpoliticallyandby bloodties to the Scottishmonarchs.Hisgreat-grandfather asyoungerbrother o LordDarnley,husbandof MaryQueenof Scotsandfatherof JamesVI, laterJamesI of England.Stuart,bornin Londonin 1612, succeeded as duke of Lennox in 1624and was createddukeof Richmond n I64I.At Charles 's accession n I625 he was appoin-tedagentleman f theBedchamber,nd n1630he was knighted.Afterstudyingat Cam-bridgeandtravelingabroad,Stuartreturnedto court n I633,waschosenaprivycouncillor,and electedto the Orderof the Garter.Eitherhis electionon April18or his installationon November6 is likelyto have occasioned

autographnd, f thecircumstantialvidenceiscorrect,wasprobablyompletedarly n1634 eforeVanDyck departedorAntwerp.Fromhispersonalortune he dukeofRichmond ndLennoxsupported harlesfinanciallys wellaspolitically uringhecivilwar(I642-45). He lost threeof his fourbrothers n thebattlefieldn theearlyI64os,waspresent t theking's xecutionn I649,andwasa mournert hisfuneral.Reportedly,he "lived nddiedwith hegood ikingof all,andwithout hehateof any."Thecomposition asinspired yTitian'sstandingull-length ortraitf theemperorCharlesV withhishound Prado,Madrid),whichhadbeengiven o CharlesbyPhilipVof Spainn I623. Charles himselfhad at orVanDyck in1632forahalf-length nwhichhe wore hecostume f aknight f theGarter.Intheduke'sportraitswell as theking's,hepalette ndposeweredeterminedbythefactthat heembroideredtarwithradiatingilverbeams f theOrder f the Garterwaswornupon he eftpartof theblack loakbelow heshoulder.Here heabundantmbroideredblack ilkdraperys relieved ythesitter'spalegreen ilkstockings ndbythejadegreenribbon,romwhichajewel, he esserGeorge,issuspended. necannot esistlooking othisportraitorjust uchconfirmationf thesitter's haractersit seems oprovide.Thedukeof Lennoxwasa cousinof Charles,educated, rbane,wealthy, courtier utnot asoldier.Hiscoloringsfair,his stance ssured,andhisexpressionmpassive. hegreatdog saselegant ndas dedicatedo hismaster sthemanwas o hisking.

the commissionfor theportrait. t is wholly'4 r


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SIR ANTHONY VAN DYCK(I599-I641)James Stuart (I612-I655),Duke of Richmondand LennoxOil on canvas, 85 X 50 /4 in.(215.9 X I27.6 cm)MarquandCollection, Gift ofHenry G. Marquand, 1889(89.15.16)

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JOHNHOSKINS(active ca. I615, died 1665)Dr. Brian Walton (ca. I6oo-I66I)Vellum on card, 2 3/4X 2 1/4n. (72 x 58 mm)Signedand dated(upper eft, in gold):i657 / i HFletcher Fund, I935 (35.89.3)

oskins'sstyledevelopedundertheinfluence of the miniaturists NicholasHilliard and Isaac Oliver (ca. I565?-I617) andof the painters Daniel Mijtens (ca. I590-I647)and Anthony van Dyck. In this fresh andvivid image, a product of Hoskins's old age,the sitter seems to lean toward the viewer, hisribbed jacket stretched tightly over his broadchest. The learned Dr. Walton became bishopof Chester in i66o.

SAMUEL COOPER (I6o8?--672)Henry Carey(1596-166I),Second Earl of MonmouthVellum on prepared card, 21/2 2 in. (64 X 52 mm)Signedand dated(left, in gold): s.c. / 1649Rogers Fund, I949 (49-33)

Orphaned as a child,Cooperwasbroughtup and trainedby his uncle John Hoskins,whose partnerhe became. Cooper was themost important miniaturist of the Common-wealth and Restoration periods and num-bered both Oliver Cromwell and Charles II

among his sitters. His portrait of the scholarlyand retiring earl of Monmouth is broadlybrushed in tributeto the example of VanDyck.The restrained palette, the angle of the head,and the arrangement of the drapery suggestthat the artist was inspired by portrait medals.

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SIR PETER LELY (I6I8-I680)Mary Capel (1630-1715), Later Duchess ofBeaufort, and Her Sister Eliaabeth(1633-1678), Countess of CarnarvonOil on canvas,51/4 X 67 in. (130.2 X 170.2 cm)Signedand inscribed:(lower left, on parapet)PL. [monogram];(on flowerpainting)E. Carnarvon fecitBequest of Jacob Ruppert, 1939 (39.65.3)

ely was amongthe mostdistinguishedof the foreign artists nurturedin seven-teenth-century England. Born in Soest, West-phalia,he was of Dutch origin. His familyname was Van der Faes. In 1637he appearedinthe minutes of the painters' guild in Haarlemas a pupil of Frans de Grebber (1573-I643).Lely arrivedin England during the civil war,

settling in Covent Garden by I650. He triedlandscapes with figures as well as historypainting before turning to portraiture, thegenre most in demand. He secured the steadypatronage of a group of influential nobleswho had remained in London, gained accessto their private collections, and in this waywas able to study the paintings of Van Dyck.By i66o, when Charles II was restored to thethrone, Lely's style was fully mature. Hiswork displays richness of color, depth oftone, skillful articulation of the human form,and a sensual elegance learned from VanDyck. His portraits evoke the Restorationcourt with an authority equivalent to that ofHolbein at the court of Henry VIII.In 1661 Lely was granted an annualstipend as principal painter to Charles II. He

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was naturalized in 1662 and became a wealthyman of property. A connoisseur, Lely formeda distinguished personal collection of worksof the major Continental schools. In the greatdrawings cabinets, his distinctive mark maybe found on sheets by Leonardo, the Carracci,Rubens, and Van Dyck. In January i680 hewas knighted; at the end of the year he diedat his easel. Lely was a fine draftsman, initiallyproviding his clients with chalk drawings thatdefined the proposed composition. In the sit-ter's presence, he painted only the head andlaid in the overall design. Lely was exception-ally prolific, and while his autograph portraitswere admired, his studio practice occasionednegative comment among his contemporariesbecause he so frequently depended uponassistants not only to finish drapery but also todevise still lifes and backgrounds.The Capels were among the importantroyalists who patronized Lely during theCommonwealth. Arthur, second Baron Capeland later firstearl of Essex, commissioned

from Lely a number of family portraits,which were certainly begun in the i65os. By173 , and possibly much earlier, they wereinstalled in the library at Cassiobury Park, inHertfordshire, the Capels' great EnglishBaroque house. George Vertue, who waspreparing a history of the arts in England,described the eight Capel portraits by Lely ashis finest set:

6 half lenghts... ofyefamily. someLadyes... &... some of themMen, withantiqueBusts. 2 othersdoublehalf lenghts. 2Ladyes. a Lady & Gentleman .. of the best andhighestperfectionthat everIsawpainted by Sr.P. Lelly especiallyso many & so compleattogether.The painter had probably been intro-duced to the family by the earl of Northum-berland, whose daughter Lady ElizabethPercy married Arthur Capel in I653: they arethe "Lady & Gentleman"of the double half-length portrait mentioned above. Lastrecorded at auction in 1981, that picture,

Details, left and opposite, ofEli abeth, Countessof Carnarvon


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whichhasthedarkpaletteof graysandbrownsthatLely favoreduntil the i65os,mayhavebeentheearliestof the set. The "2Ladyes"(p. I7) are LordCapel'ssisters,Maryatleft,the eldest,and Elizabethatright,wife of thesecondearlof Carnarvon.Theiridentity ssecuredby the fact thatthecountess,an ama-teurartist,displaysapaintingof atulipbear-ing hersignaturesurmountedby a coronet(p. I8). MaryCapel's irsthusbanddiedinI654, and it is likely,given theabsencehereofawidow'sveil, that shewaspaintedafterhersecondmarriagen I657 to HenrySomerset,LordSeymour, aterfirstdukeof Beaufort.The delicatemodelingof the faces,theelas-ticityof line, andthe reflectivebrillianceofLely'sdraperypaintingaremarksof the bestworkof his earlymaturity.Also belongingto theMuseum,andstillin its originalframe, s one of the single por-traits,whichrepresentsArthurCapel'syoungerbrotherHenry, aterBaronCapelofTewkesbury opposite).This canvasandthe"2Ladyes," ogetherwithotherLelys,aVanDyck, anda Reynolds,werelong installed nthe Cassiobury ibrary.The Museum'spor-traitswere lots 707 and708,respectively,nthe saleof the contentsof thehouseon JuneI5, I922.Whenlot 707wasbequeathed o theMuseum n 1939, t lookedratherdifferent:Henry Capel'shand restedawkwardlyon aledge in the left-handcornerof thepicture.In I949 itwas suggestedthatthemarblebustof the 1922 salecataloguedescriptionmightbe lurkingunderrecentrepainting.AnX-radiographwas made,theportraitwascleaned,andthe femalebustemerged.HenryCapel,born 1638,was marriedn i659 toDorothy Bennettof KewGreen,Surrey.

Sincehisgesturehasbeeninterpretedas theplightingof his troth,the canvasmayhavebeenpainted n celebrationof theirmarriage.The photographof the Cassioburylibrary n the 1922 catalogueshows thehalf-lengthof HenryCapelhangingto therightof the mantel.The secondof Vertue's"Men,withantiqueBusts" s at the oppositesideandagain representsArthurCapel,with a bust-length sculptureof a manon apedestalorledgebehindhim.The whereaboutsof thefourhalf-lengthportraitsof women,in addi-tion to thoseof ArthurCapelwith andwith-out hiswife, areunknown.

Arthur, irstBaronCapel,the familypatriarch,who hadfoughtvaliantly n thecivilwar,was beheadedshortlyafterCharlesin 1649. Chieflyfamousamongtheircontem-poraries or theirsupportof the royalistcause,the Capelsarenow remembered spatronsof theart of portraiture ndfor theirinterest nbotanyandgardening.The count-ess of Carnarvonwas acompetent lowerpainter; he duchessof Beaufortcommis-sionedbotanicalwatercolors;andHenryCapelcontributed o thedevelopmentofwhateventuallybecametheRoyalBotanicGardensatKew.

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SIR PETER LELYSir Henry Capel (I638-I696)Oil on canvas,49 3/4X 401/2 in. (I26.4 X I02.9 cm)Signed(on columnbase):PL[monogram]Bequest of Jacob Ruppert, 1939 (39.65.6)

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SIR GODFREY KNELLER (1646-1723)Charles Beauclerk (I670-I726),Duke of St. AlbansOil on canvas, 49 7 X 40 12 in. (126.7 X 102.9 cm)Signed and inscribed: (lower left) GK[monogram] Ft; (upper center) The Right Hon. /CHARLESEAUCLAIREBaron Heddington /Earle of BURFORD.Bequest of Jacob Ruppert, 1939 (39.65.8)

In he late I67os JamesScott,dukeofMonmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son,

promoted the king's interest in Kneller, whohad only recently arrived in London. AsCharles had agreed to a request from hisbrother, the duke of York, for a portrait byLely, to save time the king sat for the twoartists simultaneously.Kneller was born Gottfried Kniller in theBaltic Hanseatic port city of Liibeck, where

his fatherwas the chief surveyor.He studiedmathematics t Leiden andpainting nAmsterdam eforetraveling o VeniceandRome, where he is said to have been impressedby the sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini(I598-I68o) and the canvases of Carlo Maratta(1625-I713). His worldly background anddiligence equipped him well for service at theEnglish court, where he served in successionCharles II, James II, William and Mary,andQueen Anne. He was principal painter to thecrown from 1691 until his death. Kneller pio-neered and specialized in the half-length,lifesize portrait. His prices were high, and hemanaged an efficient, productive studio. Heworked rapidly, often sketching in pen andink. In contrast to Lely's, Kneller's reputationwas founded upon his well-known ability tocapture a likeness.The portrait illustrated here is signed inmonogram by Kneller. The sitter is identifiedin the inscription as Charles Beauclaire [sic],Baron Heddington, earl of Burford. CharlesBeauclerk, born 1670, was the illegitimateson of Charles II by Eleanor (usually knownas Nell) Gwyn, who began her career sellingoranges near the Drury Lane Theatre andtook to the stage at fifteen. Her son was ele-vated to the dukedom of St. Albans in I684; in1694 he married Lady Diana de Vere, heiressof the last earl of Oxford. She sat for Knelleras a child and also at the time of her marriage,though the latter portrait is known only froma reproductive mezzotint. Inscriptions of thekind found on the Museum's portrait are gen-erally of later date and areusually, but notalways, reliable. This one is open to question,particularly as the sitter's title is incompleteand the picture seems not to have beenengraved. On grounds of style the portrait canbe dated to about I690. It is a spirited perfor-mance, bold in coloring and painted directlywith the rapidity and assurance that are hall-marks of Kneller's most personal manner.

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THOMAS FORSTER (active ca. 690--1713)Portraitof a Man and Portraitof a WomanGraphite on vellum, 4/ x 35/8n. ( 12 x 92 mm);4% x 3 1/2in. ( 12 X9o mm)Signedand dated(right):TForster[initials nmonogram] Delin / 1700 and TForster[initialsin monogram] delin / 1700Rogers Fund, 1944 (44.36.2,.5)

othingis knownof Forsterbeyondthefact that for twenty years or more hemade portraits from life drawn with meticu-lous precision in graphite on vellum. The two

images are probably a pair, as they are veryclose in size and similarly signed and dated.Curiously, in I700 fashion dictated simple,rather natural dress and hairstyles for womenbut full wigs and elaborate costumes for men.

ROSALBA CARRIERA (I675-I757)Portraitof a Man, ca. 1710Ivory, 3 x 2 /4 in. (76 x 59 mm)RogersFund, 1949 (49.122.2)T he nfluenceof the Venetianartist

Rosalba Carriera was widespread. Thefirst to use ivory as a support for miniatures,she achieved effects of exceptional luminos-ity and brilliance. Although Carrieranevervisited England, she is included here becauseshe painted many portraits that were carriedhome by English travelers on the grand tour.The sitter is unidentified. The bluing of thearmor and its reflective quality are suggestedwith characteristic finesse.

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CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH ZINCKE(I683/85-I767)Portraitof a YoungMan, ca. 1745Enamel, I 3/4X 38 n. (45 x 36 mm)Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948(48.I87.495)

T he son of a German goldsmith, Zinckesettled in England in his early twentiesand studied enameling there with the Swedishmaster Charles Boit (I662-1727). Zinckeemployed the demanding technique of paint-ing in vitreous glazes on copper for portraitsseemingly from life. This lively image with itssmooth, glossy surface is in a contemporaryframe that could be original.

SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS (1723-I792)Anne Dashwood (I743-I830), Later Countessof GallowayOil on canvas,52 /2X 46 /4 in. (I33.4 X I18.7 cm),with 7 V8 n. (i8.i cm) strip folded over the topstretcherbarSignedand dated(right,abovebas-relief):Reynolds 1764 pinxitGift of LillianS. Timken,1950 (50.238.2)

Reynolds, theson of a schoolmaster,wasborn at Plympton, Devon. From 1740until 1743he was apprenticed to the painterThomas Hudson (1701-1779) in London andafterwardworked n the west country.In1749he departed orItalyandby April1750had settled fortwo yearsin Rome.ReynoldsvisitedNaples,Florence,Bologna,Venice,andParis,returning o London n 1753,shortlybefore his thirtiethbirthday.By thelateI75oshe was scheduling iveor sixsittingsdaily, ncluding Sunday,had raisedhis ratesby a multipleof five,and countedamonghissitters hewriterDr. SamuelJohnson;LadyCarolineFox,wife of thepoliticianHenry

Fox and daughter of the second duke ofRichmond; and the prince of Wales, laterGeorge III. Reynolds moved to a large housein fashionable Leicester Fields in 1760 andthat same year sent four portraits to London'sfirst major public exhibition at the Society ofArtists. By then he was unquestionably thechief painter in London.In December 1768 the Royal Academywas founded with Reynolds as president. InJanuary of the following year he gave the firstof his Discourses on Art (1769-90), and inApril he was knighted. Reynolds traveled toParis in 1768 and 1771,to the Netherlands in1781,and to Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent in1785.He was honored abroad in 1775withmembership in the Florence Academy. Afterthe publication in 1778 of the first Discourses,he also achieved recognition as a man ofletters. He was named principal painter toGeorge III in 1784 and, despite two strokesand diminishing sight, continued to exhibit asmany as a dozen pictures annually at theRoyal Academy until 1790.

Reynolds was a student of antique sculp-ture as well as of old-master painting, a24 i


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voraciousanddiscerningcollector(he ownedPoussin's Blind Orion,acc. no. 24.45.1), and asometime picture dealer. He worked in vari-ous genres but, keenly practical and ambi-tious, he willingly both fed the demand andmet the need for portraits, espousing a grandclassicizing style enhanced with learned ref-erences to the art of the past as well as to thework of his contemporaries. He overcame aninadequate grasp of anatomy and perspectiveand a flawed technique, acknowledged bothby himself and by many of his colleagues,with impetuous handling, sonorous color,

and a profound understanding of Baroquecomposition and of the rhetorical possibilitiesof pose and gesture.Almost without exception Reynolds'sclients came to his painting room at LeicesterSquare. He noted in a letter of 1777that threesessions of about an hour and a half each weregenerally required for the face and observedthat the rest could be completed without trou-bling the sitter. In such cases he used modelsand lay figures and occasionally borrowedjewelry and clothing. He is also known to haveengaged the services of his assistants for the

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Detail, opposite, ofInigoJones and TheHonorableHenryFaneSee pp. 28-29

secondarypassages.Reynoldsrespondedotheopenexpressions ndebullientbehaviorofchildren.Whenpaintingyoungwomen,heconveyedsensibility,elegance,andgoodbreeding,and he affirmedmale virtuein astylethat is the visualequivalentof eloquentpublicoratory.Anne Dashwood (p. 25) sat for Reynoldsthreetimesin themonthbeforehermarriageonJune13,I764, toJohnStewart,LordGarlies,laterseventhearlof Galloway.Shewastheeldestdaughterof SirJamesDashwood,awealthy andowner,bonvivant,and memberof ParliamentorOxford,whose 1737portraitby Enoch Seemanbelongsto the Museum(acc.no. 56.I90). LordGarlies,alsoamemberof Parliament,was ayoungwidower,havinglost his infantsonandhis wife of ninemonthsa little more thanayearbefore.The futurecountessof Galloway,by contrast,wouldbeareightsons andeight daughters n thecourseof aunionthat asted morethanfortyyearsand would live to thegreatageofeighty-seven.

ReynoldspresentsAnneDashwoodinthe traditionalguiseof a shepherdess,wear-ing anupdated nterpretation f Renaissancepeasantcostume,but with rubies,ribbonsentwinedwithpearls,anda gold-trimmedgauzescarf.Her attributes rea crook andaspringnosegayof pinksandhoneysuckle.The subjectpresupposes heep.On June13,I859,Christie'ssoldas lot I6I a fragmentshowingtwo lambs,saidto have beencutfromthe landscape n thispicture.The pres-ence of a seven-inchstripof originalcanvas,now foldedoverat the top, supports he argu-ment,becauseReynoldswouldhave beenunlikelyto miscalculate he centralplacement

of thefigure.However,thelambsarelost,andasthisportraitwas not engraveduntilI863nor exhibiteduntil 191I, its originalsizeandappearancewill probablynever beknown. Evenin its somewhatdiminishedstate Miss Dashwood's portrait s rich withallusionandmood. Forthe relief at the lowerright,whichdepictsa nymphtouchedby anarrowheldby awingedfigure,Reynolds,who was famously earned,quotesa motiffrom theMediciVase,a notableantique,ofwhich he had madea carefuldrawing nRome in I750. The metalgrayskyprovidesafoil forthe sitter'spastelcostumeandpalecoloring(whichis evenpalerthan t wasoriginally,on accountof fading)and attractstheviewer's attention o the delicatesilhou-ette of her inclinedhead and to herdeeplypensive expression.

About I725 there came into vogue agenrefavoredby boththe Britisharistocracyandthe risingmiddle classes: he conversa-tionpiece.A conversation,as it was thencalled,was a group portraitof relativesorfriendsathome andatleisure,insideor out-side,oftenenjoyingthepleasuresof countrylife. The genreevolvedfrom Dutch cabinetpicturesof the seventeenthcenturyandfromcontemporaryFrenchpainting.Conversationpieceswere available oranyonewho couldafford hem atrelativelymodestpricesandwere, in general,of mediumsize to accom-modatestanding igures welveto fifteenincheshigh.Artists oftenbeganworkingonthis scalein countrytowns,butmanyfoundthepractice nsufficientlyprofitable.Thosewho couldmovedon to Londonandto lifesizeportraiture.Gainsboroughbeganhis careerpaintingsmallwhole-lengthsandgroups;

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Reynoldsdidnot,buthe may,on the otherhand, ay claimto whatis arguably helargestof alleighteenth-centuryonversationpieces,The HonorableHenryFane withHis Guardians,InigoJones and Charles Blair (pp. 28-29).

Henry Fane was the younger of two sonsof Thomas Fane, an attorney and clerk to theSociety of Merchant Venturersof Bristol, whodescended from the third son of the first earlof Westmorland. In 1757Thomas Fane's elderbrother died, and in 1762 he consequently suc-ceeded a distant cousin as the eighth earl. Buteven in the position to which the young Henrythen rose, this painting presents a puzzle:while his father could anticipatebeing wealthy

enoughto have afforded uchanimmensecanvas,ayoungerson shouldnothavebeenimportantnough ndynastic erms o havebeenitssubject.Reynoldshad thetriplepor-trait n hand nNovember 76I, andherecorded paymentof two hundredpounds nFebruary 766.DuringthesameyearsHenry'sfatherandelderbrother at forReynolds orstanding ull-lengths.These musthavebeendwarfedby comparisonwhen,as in 1854,allthreeweredisplayed ogetheratApethorpe,the Westmorlandfamilyseat.In thisgatheringof convivialgentlemena subsidiary ole is playedby the olderman,InigoJones,who rests his arm on the table,

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SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDSThe HonorableHenryFane(1739-I802) withHis Guardians,InigoJones and CharlesBlairOil on canvas, oo '/4 X 142 in. (254.6 X360.7 cm)Inscribed (bottom edge, beneath fig-ures): INIGO IONES *ESQr THE HONbleHENRY *FANE *ESQr CHARLES * BLAIRESQr.Gift of Junius S. Morgan, 1887 (87.16)

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Detail, opposite, ofSIR JOSHUA REYNOLDSThe HonorableHenryFane (I739-I802) withHis Guardians,InigoJones and CharlesBlair

bottle in hand. FaneandJones,a relativeofthe celebratedarchitect,wereneighbors nthecountry,atFulbeck, n Lincolnshire.MorenearlyFane'sequal n pictorial erms sCharlesBlair,who wears a red coat and rid-ingboots. Blairwas reportedlymarried oFane's sisterMary.HenryFanehimself is sil-houettedagainstanarbor, romwhich,ratherincongruously,a sculptureof a malecaryatidemergesabovehis head. His silver-grayembroidered oat,britches,andstockingsarethelightestpassage n tone and drawtheviewer's attention o his languidposture,while the cordedneck of hisgreyhoundinvites comparison with his own muscularcalvesand well-turnedankles.Reynolds'sprincipalrivalat the time was FrancisCotes(see p. 34),and theirpaletteshere have muchin common.

In 1782 Reynoldsraisedhispricesfortheseventh andfinaltime,thereafterchargingtwo hundredguineasfor a full-length.Herecordedanunusually argetotal of sixteenappointmentsetweenFebruary andApril oof thatyearwithCaptainGeorgeCoussmaker(p. 32), plus two or more appointmentsfor thecaptain'shorse. Coussmaker adjoinedtheFirstRegimentof Foot Guardswith the lowestcommissioned ankof ensignand ieutenantnI776, was promoted to captainand lieutenantcolonel in 1778, and retired in 1795, neverhavingseen active service.Reynoldsshows ayoungmanwithamild,inexpressive ace.Coussmaker an be imagined n the artist'sstudioleaningcomfortablyon apedestal-replaced n thepaintingby the buttof thesawn-off tree limb.VigorousRubensianbrushworks combinedwith aposeso infor-mal andrelaxedas to havesuggestedcompari-sonwith Gainsborough's tyleof the samedate. The horse with its loweredheadis very

like thehorsein Reynolds's1756portraitofCaptainRobertOrme(NationalGallery,London),who as aide to GeneralBraddockwaswounded n theAmericanRevolutionaryWar. Orme'sportrait videntlywas notcommissioned,andtheartisthaddisplayed tinhisgalleryuntil1777.)WhilepaintingCoussmaker,Reynoldswas alsooccupiedwitha full-lengthof anotherofficerwho hadfoughtinAmerica,GeneralSirBanastreTarleton NationalGallery,London),whomhe showedin a dramaticpose amid the smokeandwindof the battlefield.Coussmaker'slikenessmaybe a good one,butby compari-sonwith moreauthenticallymilitarysubjects,thesitter's elf-satisfiedook mustnothavefiredthe artist'simagination.

Reynoldsrecorded hepartial oss ofsight in one eye in July 1789. In autumn 1790he ceased topaint,and n February1792 hedied.Two more-or-less denticalhalf-lengthsrepresenting he HonorableMrs.LewisThomas Watson seep. 33)areamonghis lat-estworks.Forthefirst,o05 poundswaspaidin equal nstallmentsn MarchandJuly1789,andforthesecond,the same amount n MayandJulyof thatyear.As theearlierof thetwo was shownattheRoyal Academyandmentioned nprinton April28, it was com-pletedbefore the second wasbegun.In I785MaryElizabethMilleshadmarriedWatson,later secondBaronSondes,of Lees Court,Kent,andRockinghamCastle,Northampton.She was theonly daughterandheiressofRichardMilles,of NorthElmham,Norfolk,andNackington,Kent,to whom the secondversion,probably heMuseum's,was deliv-ered.Shehad beenpainted n theyearof hermarriageby Gainsborough.

The young andwealthyMrs.Watson'scostumewould have beena fashion state-ment.Dress forelegant Englishwomenhadundergonea seachange n theearly1780s,whenthey adopted hefinewhite muslinchemisewitha wide, fallingcollarfirstpopu-larized n Franceby Marie-Antoinette.Thesofter,ampler,andmorenatural ook wasthoughtto have beenenhanced,ashere,by a

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SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDSCaptain George K. H. Coussmaker(I759-I80I)Oil on canvas, 93 /4X 57 /4 in. (238.I xI45.4 cm)Bequestof WilliamK. Vanderbilt, 920(20.155-3)

Opposite.SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDSThe HonorableMrs.Lewis Thomas Watson(I767-I8i8)Oil on canvas, 50x 40 in. (127 Xioi.6 cm)Bequest of Mrs. Harry Payne Bingham,1986 (1987.47.2)

starched ichuand a skirt uckedat the waist.Correspondingly, eightwassacrificed owidthin thedressingof a lady'shair,which,frizzledandsoftlypowdered,oftensupportedan enormousberibbonedhat-black was apopularaccessorycolor-such asthe oneframingMrs.Watson's ace.It seemslikelythatthis modernstylewould have been

favoredby Reynolds,who hadpaintedwomenin classically nspiredwhite bed-gowns long before white was de rigueur orladies in society. For Marie-Antoinette's por-traitist, Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, as forReynolds, Gainsborough, and their succes-sors, young women in white dresses wereeminently paintable.

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FRANCIS COTES (I726-1770)Admiral Harry Paulet (1720-1794), SixthDuke of BoltonOil on canvas,50 x 40 in. (127 x IOI.6 cm)Inscribedverso):Harry thand astDukeofBolton. Grandfatherf ViscountessTempletown.Bequest f JacobRuppert,939 39.65.5)

otes,born nLondon,was hesonof anapothecary nd thebrotherof the minia-turist Samuel Cotes (1734-1818). Francis was

apprenticedn his teensto GeorgeKnapton(I698-1778),withwhom he studiedboth oilpaintinganddrawing n crayons,aspastelswere thencalled.Skilled n thematerials ndtechniquesof pasteland afinecolorist,Coteswas one of England'smostgiftedpractition-ers of thisintimate, pontaneousmedium.Hewas well established by the early i75os, com-missioningandsellingprintsafterhispastelsof well-known sitters.

Late n thesamedecade Cotesbegantopaintmorefrequentlyn oils. From1760through1768he exhibitedannuallyat theSocietyof Artists,where SirJoshuaReynoldsheldsway.Cotesstroveto competewithReynolds(sometimesadoptingReynolds'sportrait ormats),andby 1763he wassuccess-fulenoughto leasea largehousein fashion-ableCavendishSquare. n 1766-67 severalmembersof theroyalfamilysatforhim,andin 1768hewas one of fourpetitionerswhobroughtbeforeGeorgeIIItheproposal-whichthekingpromptlyaccepted-to estab-lishtheRoyalAcademy.AlthoughCotes'ssitters'book hasneverbeenfound,a 1768billindicates hathispricesthenwerebetweenthoseof ReynoldsandGainsborough.Hehad showneighteenportraitsatthe firsttwoAcademyexhibitsandwas atthepeakof hisfame when, in 1770, he took a potion that,insteadof curinghimof kidneyorgallstones,resulted n his death.Cotes was neitherasinventive asReynoldsnorasintuitiveasGainsborough.However,his facepainting sincisive,and he hada feelingforornamentaldetailand theplayof lineas well as forcolor.

Ninety yearsago,whenBritishportraiturecame nto fashionhere,his workhadbeenforgotten;his reputationhadsufferedbecauseof themany ndifferentpictures henmisat-tributed o himthatfloodedthemarket.

AlthoughCotesunderpainted ut nevercompleted heface in theMuseum's anvas(opposite),thesittermustneverthelesshaveacceptedhisportraitbecause t descendedsubsequently o hisgranddaughter.LordHarryPaulet,vice admiralof theWhiteFleet,wasmarrieda secondtime inApril1765 o Katharine,ister of the firstearl ofLonsdale,and two months ater,on thepre-maturedeathof hisbrother,succeeded o thedukedomof Bolton.Eithereventmighthaveoccasioned hecommission or theportrait,which on groundsof styleis unlikelyto beearlier than 1762. In thatyearJamesWatson'sengravingafterReynolds's1761portraitofRearAdmiralGeorgeBrydgesRodney,whichseems to haveinspired hecomposi-tion,wasexhibitedattheSocietyof Artists.Cotes'simposing magereadswell from a dis-tancebecauseof thedominanceof brightcol-orsandtone,whichare carriedoverfromhispracticenpastel.Typicalalsois thelegibilityandfinedetailingof thegold-braid-bedeckedblue-and-ivory ostume.It is tempting o interpretPaulet's air asone of pretension n lightof his reputationamonghiscontemporaries.nAugust1733he had entered henavyasa scholarattheacademyatPortsmouthDockyard.Promotedin 1740 to captain, he reached the rank ofadmiral of the White in 1775,but he had,meanwhile,been involvedin variouscourts-martialand hadbeenadmonished orhiscon-duct. His reputationwastarnished,andafter1755he was assignedno furtherdutyatsea,although he served as a member of Parlia-ment. Pauletwasunflatteringly epicted nthe character f CaptainWhiffle n TobiasSmollett's 1748novel, TheAdventuresofRoderickRandon. Thirty years later the writerHoraceWalpolecalledhim"asilly,brutal,proudman."

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THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH (1727-1788)Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott (I754?-I823)Oil on canvas, 92 /4 x 60 V2 n. (234.3 x 153.7 cm)Bequest of William K. Vanderbilt, 1920 (20.155.1)

Born atSudbury,Suffolk,Gainsboroughwas in London during the early 1740s,working with the French engraver HubertGravelot (1699-1773) and perhaps alsoassisting the painter Francis Hayman(I708?-I776) in the decoration of the pavil-ions for the pleasure gardens at Vauxhall.English artists may be divided between thosewho came from or visited continental Europeand those who did not: while Gainsboroughwas one of the latter, from an early age hestudied the French Rococo style and also thework of Jacob van Ruisdael and his seven-teenth-century Dutch contemporaries. Hadlandscape painting been more profitable,Gainsborough would perhaps have made acareer working only in that genre. Failing atthis alternative, he returned to Sudbury from

London in 1748 and then moved to Ipswich insearch of a clientele for small full-length por-traits. In the constantly changing society ofthe spa town of Bath, where he relocated in1759, he achieved success as a painter of largeportraits and, gaining access to distinguishedprivate collections, came under the influenceof the work of Sir Anthony van Dyck.Gainsborough exhibited in London at theSociety of Artists beginning in 1761 and wasa founder-member of the Royal Academy.He finally moved permanently to London in1774, settling with his family at SchombergHouse in Pall Mall, where he lived until hisdeath in 1788.

Although Gainsborough cannot havehad much formal schooling, his letters arewitty and cultivated, and he must have beenpossessed of great personal charm. Passion-ately interested in music, he was a good ama-teur performer. Gainsborough had a naturalgift for drawing and painting and a highlysophisticated artistic education. He was a finecolorist with a fluid and assured technique


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Detail, opposite, ofTHOMAS GAINSBOROUGHMrs. GraceDalrymple Elliott (I754?-I823)

andproducednot only portraitsand land-scapesbut also modernmoralsubjects. nsum,itwas,and in generalstillis, acknowl-edgedthathe andReynoldswere themostgifted paintersof lateGeorgianEngland.

Duringthe BathandLondonyearsGainsborough's ye forfemalebeautyandcapacity o capture t on canvaswereleg-endary,aswashis instinct ordealingwithnotableand notoriousclients.Sociallyandprofessionallyhe wasvery up-to-date.Heapproachedhepainted abricof hisportraitsas a seamlesswhole,workedquickly,andonly rarelyemployedhis nephewas a drap-ery painter. n anengagingletter writtenfrom Bath in 1771 Gainsborough outlined hisviews on sitters'attire:"I amvery well awareof the Objection o modern dresses n Pic-tures,thatthey are soon outof fashion&look awkward;but asthat misfortunecannotbe helpdwe mustset it against he unlucki-nessof fancieddressestakingawayLike-nesses,theprincipalbeautyand intentionofa Portrait."His assertionscanbe testedagainsta much-admiredwhole-lengthof awoman n a moderndressshown at theRoyalAcademy nApril1778 p. 36). Only mem-bersof theroyal familyand well-knownpub-lic figureswerecustomarilydentifiedbynamein theearly Academyexhibitioncata-logues.However,the artist's riendHenryBate,editor of theLondonMorningPost,calledthis sitter "thebeautifulMrs.E.,"andhis avidlycuriousreadershipknewher to beGraceDalrympleElliott.In 1771 Miss Dalrymple, then said to beseventeen,entered nto whatsoonprovedanill-fated unionwitha thirty-five-year-oldphysician, John Elliott, who by 1774had suf-ficientevidenceof herbrief affairwith LordValentia o applyto the variouscriminalandecclesiastical ourtsand to the Houseof

Lordsfor a divorce.All foundin his favor,andin I776 he obtained he divorcewithdamages.By then thenewspaperswerereportingon his formerwife's liaison withLordCholmondeley,who musthavecom-missioned heportrait;not long thereafter heprinceof Walesadmiredt on a visittoHoughton,Cholmondeley's amilyseat,whereit remaineduntilsometimeafterI885.GraceElliott meanwhilehad become one ofLondon'sbetter-knowndemimondaines ndthe motherof a daughter atheredeitherbyCholmondeleyor,as sheclaimed,by theprincehimself.

Inspiredby VanDyck, Gainsboroughdemonstratedhatthe lifesizeformalportraitaffordedscopefor invention. GraceElliott'syellow robeis of a color favoredby bothartists,and theformat, n which the back-ground s given overhalf andhalf to land-scapeanda ratherblankarchitecturalhellthatsupports hefigure, s one the Flemishartisthad earlierperfected.The sitter'sphysi-cal attributesreportedly ncludedexceptionalheightandavery faircomplexion.She dis-playedstylerather hanbeautyaswell as aseeminglyartlesssensuality.Gainsboroughaccentuateshesetraits,presentingherinreedlikethree-quarter rofile.Sheis "inpow-der,"her facepainted n a feathery echniqueandherhairdressedartificiallyhigh in thestyle of the late I770S. She is corseted-hertight,pointedbodice wornover a dividedskirt, avishlyflouncedand tasseledwithgoldand silver lace-but is without the awkwardhoopedpannierswornatcourt,althoughbythen otherwisegoing outof fashion. Hertorso andhipsarepartially hieldedby hertrain,whichis raisedby a delicatehand n agesturethatsuggestsvulnerability.As theartistworkeddownward rom thewhiteface,thehandlinggrewlooser,terminatingnfoldsof drapery, igzagsof ocher andyellowstrokesappliedoverthebrownground.Exhibitsat theRoyal Academywereintended or thepublic,andGainsborough'sportraitof GraceElliott was as famous as theladyherself in 1778.However,thereare

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RICHARD COSWAY (1742-1821)Self-Portrait, ca. 1775Ivory,2 X I 5/8 in. (50 x 42 mm)Gift of CharlotteGuilfordMuhlhofer, 962(62.49)

he precociousandgifted Coswaywasamong London's most successful minia-turists from the early I78os until the close ofthe Regency era (1820). He was admitted to

the Royal Academy in 1771 and about 1786was appointed miniature painter to the princeof Wales, later George IV. Cosway and hiswife, Maria,were conspicuous figures infashionable society. The contour of his pow-dered wig serves to draw attention to his fineprofile. He wears a foppish brocaded coatembellished with ermine and lace.

RICHARD COSWAYPortraitof a Woman, Said to Be Mrs.Bates,as Flora, ca. 1775Ivory,diam. /4 in. (45 mm)The Moses LazarusCollection,Gift of Josephineand SarahLazarus, n memoryof theirfather,I888-95 (95.14.9)

iniaturesaresubject o fadingbutthisone, protected by the hinged lid of

the gold box in which it is set, must look moreor less as it did when it was painted. The sit-ter is perhaps the young concert singer SarahHarrop Bates (I755--I81). The garland ofpink and white flowers identifies her as Flora,the personification of spring. The composi-tion is cleverly adapted to the circular format.

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GEORGE ENGLEHEART (1750/53-I829)Mrs. Peter De Lancey (1720-1784),probably painted December 23, 1783Ivory, I3/8 X i 8 in. (34 X 28 mm)Fletcher Fund, 1938 (38.146.I6)

Engleheart, who was of Germandescent,was employed in Joshua Reynolds'sstudio and trained by making miniaturecopies of Reynolds's portraits. During acareer of forty years he painted nearly fivethousand miniatures, working always to ahigh standard of quality. The sitter here,Elizabeth Colden De Lancey, was a nativeof New York whose father and brother-in-law had been lieutenant governors andBritish loyalists. This sober portrait may bethe one mentioned in Engleheart's sitters'book on December 23, 1783;if so, it waspainted in London nine months before Mrs.De Lancey's death. She returned to her estate,Spring Hill, near Flushing, Long Island,where she died on September 22, I784.

ANGELICA KAUFFMANN (174I-1807)Edward Smith Stanley (1752-I834), TwelfthEarl of Derby, with His First Wife (LadyElizabeth Hamilton, 1753-1797) and TheirSon Edward (I775-I851)Oil on canvas,50 x 40 in. (127 x IOI.6 cm)Gift of BernardM.Baruch, n memoryof hiswife, Annie Griffen Baruch, 1959 (59.I89.2)

Kauffmann, thedaughterof anitinerantSwiss painter-decorator, was born atChur. A child prodigy, she accepted commis-sions for portraits while still in her teens.Between 1762 and 1766 she worked in Flor-ence, Rome, Naples, and Venice and visitedParis before settling in London. Owing notonly to her natural talent but also perhaps tothe admiring following she had developed onthe Continent-as well as to her skill as a lin-guist and her congeniality-she was animmediate success. A protege of Reynolds,Kauffmann was one of two women honoredin 1768 with founder membership in theRoyal Academy. (The other was the still-lifepainter Mary Moser [1744-2819].) Sheworked with both Robert Adam and WilliamChambers, England's most important Neo-classical architects, providing various designsfor Adam's interiors and in the late I770s sup-plying four allegories for Chambers's newrooms for the Royal Academy at SomersetHouse. The most popular and prolific expo-nent of Neoclassical history painting inEngland, Kauffmann exhibited there until theI790s, long after she had settled in Rome,where she died in 1807.

In 1773, the year he came of age, EdwardStanley, heir to the earl of Derby, gave whatHorace Walpole described as a very expen-sive party for Lady Elizabeth Hamilton.When in the following year they becameengaged, Stanley staged an even more elabo-rate fancy-dress entertainment, to which thecouple wore Van Dyck-style costumes. Theywere married on June 23, 1774, and their son,pictured here (opposite), was born on April21, 775. The marriage was not a happy one:

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Shortly after Lord Derby, as he was by then,went to Winchester in 1778 to join the militia,his wife left him for the duke of Dorset. Thethree children of the marriage remained withtheir father, a divorce was never granted, andthe countess became a chronic invalid, dyingof tuberculosis in 1797. The Museum's pic-ture, one of two autograph variants, mustdate to late 1775or 1776. It was probably

commissioned by or given to Lady Derby'smother, the duchess of Hamilton and Argyll,in whose husband's family it descended.Group portraiture is a demanding sub-

genre. It is difficult to deploy a number offrontal or three-quarter faces and figureswhile keeping each face in view, and at thesame time assigning each player an appropri-ate role in a carefully calculated scenario such4 43


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as this one. Kauffmannwas experienced,butherportraitof theDerby familyis not whollysuccessfulbeyond giving effectiveexpressionto dynasticconsiderations.The countesslookstoward he viewerin a disconcertinglyaloof andremotefashion,while the earl'sdownwardglancefails to encompasshis child,ahandsomeRaphaelesquebabyproppedupon a cushionawkwardly uspendedbetweentwo couchesall'antica,uponwhichhisparentssit. The countess'sdraperies, mbellishedwithseedpearlsandgauzeveils, alludeto theantiqueandare also in thelatest andmostelegantfashion.The earlwearsa splendidlace-collared-and-cuffedVanDyck doubletin redslashed o blue overtightbritchesofthe samehue. While thecostumesmayseemslightlyoutlandish, heportraiture,o judgeby theyoung earl'srecedinghairlineandshortstature,recorded n otherlikenesses, shonestenough.The canvas llustrates hedegreeto whichthe artist,obligedto workwithinthe conventionsdictatedby heraristo-craticpatrons,substituted uavityfor thedirect,tough-mindednaturalismof herear-lier Continental tyle.

GEORGE ROMNEY (I734-I802)Lady Eli{abeth Hamilton (I753-'797),Countessof DerbyOil on canvas,50x 40 in. (127 x ioi.6 cm)The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.57)

nitially,Romney'scareer ollowedatypicalprovincialourse.BornnLancashire,nthe northwestof England,he left schoolatanearlyageto work withhis father,a cabinet-maker. In 1755he was indentured for twoyearsto an itinerantportraitist,ChristopherSteele(1733-1767),andafterward e estab-lishedhis ownpractice n Kendal,paintingsmallfull-lengths n thetight,neatstyleof histeacher.Romneymovedto London n 1762,andfrom1763he exhibitedannually,butinvenuesotherthantheRoyalAcademy,whichhe wasneverinvitedto join. Despitehisapparent aturalabilityas a facepainter,Romneyhadbroaderaspirations, s was indi-catedby the factthathis 1763exhibitattheSocietyof Arts,whichwon a modestprize,depicteda subject rommodern Britishhis-tory, TheDeath of GeneralWolfe(untraced).A long-standing nterest n theantiqueandperhapsalso a growingawarenessof theinad-equacyof hiseducation edhimto risklosinghis established lienteleto travel n Italyfrom1773until 1775.Thereafter his style as bothpainterand draftsmanwasmarkedby anewdirectnessof attackandbreadthof handling.

Uponhis return o London,havingleasedanexpensivehousethat hadbelongedto FrancisCotes,he becameone of thecity'sbusiest,mostsuccessfulportraitists, posi-tionthat,despitehis misanthropicdisposi-tion,he maintainedortwentyyears.He isgenerally ranked third after Reynolds andGainsboroughamongtheportraitists f thelateeighteenthcentury.He was morepro-ductivethaneitherof them,andhisprices,thoughlower,rosefromfifteenguineasforahead and shoulders in 1776 to thirty-five inI793. With the exception of that for the year1785,Romney's diaries from March 27, I776,to December 31, 1795, survive. They indicate

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that in the 178os he sometimes had as many assix sittings on a weekday; he worked on Sat-urday and occasionally also on Sunday. FromApril i through July i8, 1788, for example, hedid not take a day off, and given this stagger-ing pace, it is not surprising that his work isuneven in quality.

Romney never abandoned his ambition tosucceed in a realm other than that of portraiture.

EmmaLyon, called Emma Hart,laterthe wifeof Sir William Hamilton and the mistress ofLord Nelson, first visited his studio in 1781with Romney's friend the Honorable CharlesFrancis Greville (I749-1809). She becameRomney's muse. Variously described as viva-cious, audacious, and histrionic, she was themodel for many of his mythological and alle-gorical subjects. These were as popular with

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/ .I arL?cr` C?;-h ?? ? ?1.?i ?zx. -?- I--?? i 2: ? ? ? ?-"irlu* r. rr-"W ;? *- I*"er i' -i rr:?? . '??;I? i I, ????-. t r"-, ?"-Ir Bi

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Detail, opposite,ofGEORGE ROMNEYLady Elijabeth Hamilton(I753-1797),Countessof Derby

his contemporaries stheywereearly n thiscenturywithwealthyAmericancollectorssuch as Henry ClayFrick.Since the 1930s, asfor much of the nineteenthcentury,Romneyhas been out of favor,hisprettyfemale facesjudgedvapid,his elegantdraperiesvacant.Butthere s no strongeradvocate han suc-cess,andRomneywasundoubtedlyexcep-tionallygiftedatcapturingalikeness.There are few moregraciousandengag-ing societyportraits hanthe canvas orwhich the countessof DerbyfirstsatforRomneyon November27, I776 (p. 45),shortlyafterhe settled n CavendishSquare.IncomparisonwithAngelicaKauffmann'sportrait p. 43), thisone is unpretentious;tmighthave beenanengagementpicture,soyoung does the sitterappear. n fact,LadyDerbywastwenty-three,married wo and ahalf years,and the motherof at least theoneboy,then seventeen monthsold. She returnedto CavendishSquare ive timesinthewinterof 1777 and five morein thewinterof 1778.By her lastappearance, n May4, 1778, shewas preparing o abandonnot only her hus-bandbut the formidable ocialrole that shehadbrieflyplayed.

Romney'sbestportraitsof womengivecomfortto theeye:he preferredquietcon-tours andplentyof smooth,softlymodeledcurves. He introduced he occasionalpedestalandinnumerable atsbut omittedattributesof rank.Most of his sittersareinwhite,which must havebeen hispreferenceas wellastheirs,andfew,if any,wearjewelry.Hislandscape ettings,of a highly generalized,ratherromanticnature,contribute o theatmosphere ather hanto theiconographyof hispictures.Here thesurfacehas a silkyliquidity,withoutanypentimentivisibleto

the nakedeye, whileLadyDerby'spose andexpression uggestatranquillityof mindthatshe must not havepossessed.Between1774 and 1778 the countess was painted-alone or in a group-not only by Romneybutby Reynolds(who hadalsoportrayedheras a child in a wonderfulcostumepiecenowin the NationalGallery,Washington,D.C.),by the German-born ohannZoffany(I733-18 IO), and three times by AngelicaKauffmann.Reynolds'sportrait,exhibitedatthe Royal Academy in 1777 but now knownonly from aprintof the sameyear,wasdestroyedby theearl, tsunhappyowner.The Museum's anvasmaywell have beenabandonednRomney'sstudio,where twouldhave been available o JohnDean,whosereproductivemezzotintwasnotpublisheduntilAugust 24, 1780.

AlthoughRomney'sstylehasbeenjudgedill suited o theportrayal f men,thereareexceptions,amongwhich s ahead-and-shoul-dersportrait p.48) traditionallyhought o bethat of CharlesFrancisGreville.Greville,youngerbrotherof thesecondearlof War-wick,was asometimepoliticianand a friendof the artist.He is betterknown asthe secondof four lovers of theinfamousEmma,wholefther husbandandGreville'suncle,SirWilliamHamilton,forLord Nelson. Grevilleis thesubjectof an I8Iomezzotintby HenryMeyer(p. 48), who showed himwithdeep-set eyesunderthickbrows and a slightlyhooked,morepointednose. The printwasevidentlybased on a Romney portrait hatGrevillehimself,writing n 1788, reportedhavingsent to SirWilliamHamilton nNaples.Of the severalversions,the mostlikelysource s acanvas hatdescended n theGreville family until 1943. Our sitter, who is

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GEORGE ROMNEYPortraitof a ManOil on canvas, 30 x 24 3/4 in. (76.2 x62.9 cm)Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin C. Vogel,1950 (50I69)

HENRY MEYER (I783-I843),after George RomneyThe Honorable CharlesFrancis Greville,1810Mezzotint? British Museum, London

not the sameman and whose name we shallprobably everknow, syoung,withabroader,lessangular ace. Eitherhe wearsawig or hishair s neatlydressedandpowdered o resem-ble one. His costume-a white linenshirt,cravat,and vest underabrown coat trimmedwithgoldbraidand closed withgiltbuttons-suggestsa date of about1780. The ratherper-functorytreatmentof the arms s typicalofRomney'sworkin this format.The mottledbackground uggestsa darkening kyandgivesthissympathetic ortrait nelegiactone.

Romney, iercelycompetitive, ndicatedsomethingof his ownunforgivingcharacterin hisself-portraits.The best knownis anunfinishedthree-quarter-lengthf 1782 inwhichhe appears eated,withfoldedarms,

furrowedbrow,andtousledhair,challengingthe viewer with a quizzical rown(NationalPortraitGallery,London).Inthe I78oshewasstillworkingat a furiouspaceandboastedthathe had receivedboth the influentialpoliti-cian CharlesJamesFox and theprinceofWales, aterGeorgeIV,who wouldsit for him.However,by then hispowers may alreadyhave beenon thewane,asmanyof hispor-traitsweredelivered ate or left unfinished.The Museum'sself-portraitopposite),paintedwhen the artistwas sixty,seems to confirmthat he was besetby theillness anddepressionthatcloudedhis lastyears.Hisexpression sfurtiveandunsettling.In 1799Romneyreturned o thenorth of England,where hedied in 1802.

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GEORGE ROMNEYSelf-PortraitOil on canvas, 30 x 25 in. (76.2 X 63.5 cm)Bequestof MariaDeWitt Jesup, rom thecollectionof herhusband,MorrisK. Jesup,1914(15.30.37)

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JOHN HOPPNER (1758-18IO)RichardHumphreys,theBoxerOil on canvas,553/4X 441/4 in. (I41.6 X 112.4 cm)The AlfredN. PunnettEndowmentFund, 1953(53.II3)

Of Bavarianescent,Hoppnerwasbornin London.WhenHoppnerwasachoirboy n the ChapelRoyal, GeorgeIIInoticedhis abilitywiththepencil,and hewas

providedwithanallowanceand sentto livewith thekeeperof theking'sdrawings.InI775 the artist entered the Royal AcademySchools.He won theAcademy'ssilvermedalforlife drawing n 1778,beganexhibitingthereregularly n 1780, andtwo yearslaterwas awarded hegold medalforhistorypainting.In 1781he marriedPhoebe,thedaughterof the AmericansculptressPatienceWright (1725-1786), and the young couplesoon moved to CharlesStreet,St.James'sSquare,a fashionableaddress.At first nflu-encedby Zoffany,Hoppnermade hismarkwithgenresubjects.When he turned oportraits,he modeledhis styleon thatofReynolds.His maturing kills as a portraitistwere shownto advantagen the likenessesoftheking'sthreeyoungestdaughters hatheexhibitedat theRoyalAcademy n I785(RoyalCollection).By thetimehe waselected to full membership in I795, he hadalreadybeenappointedprincipalpainter otheprinceof Wales,the futureGeorgeIV.Hoppnerwas a devotedacademician.He hadaviolenttemperandas awritercouldbeharshlycriticalof his fellowartists,but hisadvice wasmuchvaluedby studentsattheAcademySchools. Inpoorhealthfromi800,he diedtenyearslateratfifty-one.

Hoppner'sworkwastremendouslypop-ular in the late 178os and 179os, and he wasthought by his manypatrons,aswell asbyothersamonghis contemporaries,o havebeen especiallyskilled n makingatruthfulportrait.Despitehis earlytrainingas a drafts-man,he favoredcoloroverdesign,and hewas indebted orhisbroadbrushworkandpaletteto theexampleof VenetianRenais-

sancepainting.Duringmuchof hiscareer,Englandwasplaguedby warandby politicalandeconomicturmoil-a periodthathe,unlikeLawrence,didnot survive-and per-hapsas a consequencehisworkis markedbyacertainsobriety. t is not entirelyclearwhyhis reputationplummeted o quicklyafterhisdeath,buthe hasunquestionablybeenill servedby the artmarket,ashis supposedoeuvreisburdenedwithmisattributions.He wasafineandoccasionallygiftedpainterwho is representedhereby two worksofexceptionalqualityandinterest.The annalsof Britishboxingweremarkedn thelate I78osby thebrief butglo-riouspugilisticcareerof RichardHumphreys(opposite),knownforthedistinctionof hislooksandmannersasthe "gentlemanboxer."On May3, 1786, nthepresenceof theprinceof Wales, hedukeof York, heducd'Orleans,membersof theBritishpublic,andsuchof theFrenchnobilityaswerethen in England,HumphreysdefeatedSamuelMartin, heso-calledBathButcher, tNewmarket.The priceof admissionwas aguinea;somefortythou-sandpounds nbetsis reported o havechangedhands.Thebest-publicizedmatchofHumphreys's areerwasheldatOdiham,Hampshire,on January9, 1788,wherehe tri-umphedoverhis formerpupilandfriendDanielMendoza,winningfourhundredguineas.In anticipation f thiscontestJohnYoung'smezzotintafter heMuseum'spaint-ing waspublished ointly by painterandengraveron January3.A printby JosephGrozerafterJ.Einsleof thecontenders n theringatOdiham,whichappearedn May1788,showsHumphreys n thesamecharacteristicpose. Furthermeetingsbetweenthe tworivals-with Mendoza hevictor-seem tohavetakenplaceatStilton n 1789and atDoncaster n 1790. It was reported hatafter-wardHumphreys ivedseveralyearsas areputable oalmerchantn the Strand.Thisportraitbelongsto therealmofeighteenth-century port.The firstof theboxingamphitheaters pened n OxfordRoad, London, in 1743, and there a code of

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rules was drawnup fortheregulationof thering.Later heprincipal stablishmentwastheFives Court nJamesStreet,Haymarket,whereprofessionalsmingledwithtitledsportsmen.Boxingdrew audiences rom allclassesof Britishsocietyandfor a centuryormore was aspopular n thecountryasintown. The princeof Waleshimself trained"with hegloves."He wassuchanavidpatronthatyears ater hreefamouspugilistswereamongtheguestshe invitedto his coronation.

Hoppnerhas takenaccountof RichardHumphreys'sdistinctiveguard n thering:theyoungboxer eadswithhis righthand andstopswithhis left in a stylethat s said to haveconfusedhis opponents.He is naked o thewaist withhis fists clenched(gloves werenotthenworn) and neck muscles taut. Suchadegreeof nuditywas rare n eighteenth-centuryportraiture, ndas a demonstrationof athleticismt wouldnot, as hasbeenpointedout,be inappropriateo compare t tothe equineequivalent, he racehorseatfullstretch.Humphreys s reported o have wornthe fineflannel rousers,whitesilkstockings,andpumpswith black ribbons hatHoppnerdepicts.He standsupontheturfbeforeadarkening, urbulentsky,which setsoff hisfair,muscularfigure.The unspecified ettingtakes he formof a gridof diagonals,which,togetherwiththe low horizon,tightenthefocuson the boxer's ensesilhouette.Thesuppressionof detail andthesweepinghan-dlingwereperhapscalculated or easeoftransfer o the reproductiveprint.Theinscriptionon the mezzotint nformed hebuyersthatHoppner'soriginalpaintingwasin thepossessionof WilsonBraddyll, heboxer'smanagerandpromoter,who certainlymusthavecommissionedt. There is otherevidenceof the associationbetween the two:Mrs.Braddyll at forHoppner or aportraitexhibitedat the Royal Academy n spring1788,andin the summerBraddyll tood asgodfather o one of the Hoppnerchildren.

Eightyearslater,probably n June1796,Hoppnerwas atKnole,the ancestralhomeoftheSackvilles, o paintthe childrenof the

third duke of Dorset (opposite): three-year-old George John Frederick, Lord Middlesex(I793-I815); his older sister, Mary (I792-1864); and his younger sister, Elizabeth(I795-I870). Their father must have com-missioned the picture, for which he paid I05pounds, and the following spring it wasexhibited at the Royal Academy under thetitle Portraitof a Noblemans Children.JohnFrederick Sackville, third duke of Dorset, thewealthy, extravagant ambassador to theFrench court on the eve of the Revolution,had been a notable roue, and, in fact, it washe who had ruined the young countess ofDerby (see p. 43). In 1790, when he finallymarried, he was in his mid-forties and alreadydeclining. Hoppner

Documents

British Portraits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin v 57 No 1 Summer 1999