EARLY 19TH CENTURY PORTRAIT OF AN ELEGANT LADY CIRCA 1820 - ATTRIBUTED TO WILLIAM OWEN RA (1769 - 1825)
Fine and beguiling early 19th century oil on panel portrait of an elegant lady traditionally identified as Harriet Arbuthnot née Fane, attributed to William Owen RA (1769 - 1825)
The stylish sitter is depicted half length upon a balcony, with a stone balustrade and landscape beyond. She leans upon a fabric covered table and with her head inclined to the right she gazes away from the viewer with a most beguiling expression.
The young and attractive subject has flushed cheeks and dark curled hair which is gathered upwards and held in place with three white flowers.
Her highly fashionable and elaborate costume is comprised of a high waisted and low necked dress, the style of which was first made popular in Napoleonic France. It has a pink bodice which is slashed at the sleeves and is trimmed throughout with pearls. Clearly a person of considerable means, the sitter also wears a suite of jewellery which includes a wide twisted pearl necklace with diamond drop, diamond earrings and a further diamond brooch secured at her bosom.
Of particular note here, are the artists confident and economic brushstrokes, jewel like colour palette and also the insightful characterisation of an attractive sitter with her wide captivating eyes and delicately rendered features.
This fine work is in an excellent state of conservation and is ready to hang and enjoy in its likely original antique frame which retains its original gilding.
Harriet Arbuthnot née Fane (1793 – 1834) Harriet Arbuthnot née Fane was an early 19th-century English diarist, social observer and political hostess on behalf of the Tory party. Born into the periphery of the British aristocracy, she married a politician and member of the establishment, Charles Arbuthnott. Thus well connected, she was perfectly placed to meet many of the key figures of the Regency and late Napoleonic eras.
Throughout the 1820s she was the closest woman friend of the hero of Waterloo And British Prime Minister the 1st Duke of Wellington. She maintained a long correspondence and association with the Duke, all of which she recorded in her diaries, which are consequently extensively used in all authoritative biographies of the Duke of Wellington. Her diaries were themselves finally published in 1950 as The Journal of Mrs Arbuthnot
Her observations and memories of life within the British establishment are not confined to individuals but document politics, great events and daily life with an equal attention to detail, providing historians with a clear picture of the events described.
William Owen RA (1769 - 1825) William Owen, RA was born in Ludlow, Shropshire. He moved to London in 1786 and was apprenticed for seven years to the coach-painter Charles Catton. He was encouraged by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) to enter the Royal Academy Schools, which he did in 1791. His first work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in the following year and he continued to exhibit nearly every year until his death. Owen's work comprised mainly portraits. In 1810, he was appointed portrait painter to the Prince of Wales; the prince promised to sit for Owen but never did. In 1813 Owen was offered a knighthood however he declined.
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Framed: 17 1/6” x 15" / 44cm x 38,5cm. Panel: 14” x 12" / 35,5cm x 30cm.
Price: £7950