18th century portrait of Lady Margaret Smith- Burges, later Countess Poulett

View Similar Items

Unknown - French Art, Rococo, Portrait Queen Marie Antoinette France, Oval, Circle Vivien

(Circle of) Jean Baptiste Greuze - French Pastel Portrait of a Chevalier of the Order of St Louis.

Alfonso Grassi - CHILD - Alfonso Grassi Pastel on paper Portrait italian Painting

Raymond Debieve - Portrait of Smiling Woman

Raymond Debieve - The Kids

Unknown - 'The Red Headdress' by W. Worms

Charles Camoin - Portrait of Woman in Pearl Necklace

Bob Peak - Saudi Arabia King Faisal Time Magazine Cover - Man of The Year Study

John Singleton Copley (attr.) - Attributed J S Copley Two Nobles Portrait Paintings 18 century pastel parchment

Samuel Brecher - Pastel Portrait of a Circus Clown

Louis Jean Beaupuy - French Art Deco Society Portrait, Beauty in a Hat

Reginald K. Gee - "Skeletype Grape, " Acrylic & Pastel on Grocery Bag signed by Reginald K. Gee

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 8

Sir Thomas Lawrence
18th century portrait of Lady Margaret Smith- Burges, later Countess Poulett
1786

About the Item

A pastel portrait of Lady Margaret Smith-Burges, later Countess Poulett (1754-1838) by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830). Oval, pastel on paper 29.5 x 24cm (excluding frame), in an ornate giltwood and gesso frame with a coronet crest, circa 1785. Inscription on reverse ' Portrait in crayons by Sir Thomas Lawrence of the Dowr. Countess Poulett'. This is a rare and early work in Lawrence's career who as a child prodigy began working as a youth in pastels, moving on to work almost exclusively in oils after 1790. Margaret (born Burges) was the daughter of Ynyr Burges and Margaret Brown. She became the wife of Sir john Smith-Burges, 1st Baronet in 1771 and later after his death the wife of John, 4th Earl Poulett whom she married in 1816. During her first marriage, Margaret was a regular visitor to Bath and very likely sat for the young Lawrence whilst he was living there. Thomas Lawrence was born the son of an innkeeper who moved the family to Bath in 1779. His father, recognising his son's talent from an early age, advertised his services as a portraitist in the Bath Journal; 'Master Lawrence continues to take very striking Likenesses of Ladies and Gentlemen in the most pleasing attitudes, either in pencil or crayons'. The large number of potential sitters who had come to Bath 'for the season' or to 'take the waters' helped to support the family with a steady income and the child prodigy became very popular with aristocrats and the famous and wealthy. Hi sitters in Bath included Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and the actress Sarah Siddons. Whilst still a teenager in Bath, he moved from pencil to pastel and was highly likely to have been influenced or taught by Bath artist William Hoare. In 1787 Lawrence moved from Bath to London and was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools, exhibiting in his first year seven pictures which were probably all pastels. From then on he began working in oils and had stopped working in pastels by around 1790 when he was 21 years old. In 1789 he was commissioned to paint Queen Charlotte, the wife of the ailing George III and mother of the Prince Regent. By 1792, he had been appointed official painter to the King and two years later, was elected a Royal Academician. Provenance: Major W. A. Burges, Catsfield Manor, East Sussex in 1956. Private collection, East Sussex Literature: Neil Jeffares, 'Dictionary of pastellists before 1800', online edition, reference for this portrait with image featured under 'Lawrence, Sir Thomas' page 10. Kenneth Garlick, ‘Sir Thomas Lawrence ‘, 1964

Creator:
Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769 - 1830, British)
Creation Year:
1786
Dimensions:
Height: 25.2 in (64 cm)Width: 20.87 in (53 cm)
Medium:
Pastel,Handmade Paper
Movement & Style:
English School
Period:
Late 18th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Bath, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU9528768742