Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

c. 1787/1796

Gainsborough Dupont

Associated Names
Gainsborough Dupont

Painter, British, 1754 - 1797

This painting is a full-length portrait of a woman with her body facing the right and her head turned toward us. She has light skin, curly gray hair, arched eyebrows, and a small mouth in a neutral expression. She wears an elegant light-colored dress with a large bow on the back and a large, dark, feathered hat, and she has a flower tucked in her arms, which also gather up some of her skirts. The background shows tall trees, with the edge of a wall visible in the upper-right corner. The color scheme of the painting is mostly olive-green, and everything has a green tint.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 59.1 x 39.9 cm (23 1/4 x 15 11/16 in.)
    framed: 77.2 x 57.2 x 6.4 cm (30 3/8 x 22 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1970.17.119

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

George Agar-Ellis, 1st Baron Dover [1797-1833];[1] by descent to his granddaughter, the Hon. Lilah Agar-Ellis, later Lady Annaly [1862-1944], until c. 1922. (M. Knoedler & Co., London and New York); sold January 1922 to Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; gift to his daughter, Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969], New York, by 1937; bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1] George Agar-Ellis was married to Lady Georgiana Howard, granddaughter of the sitter. His mother was Lady Caroline Spencer [d. 1813], eldest daughter of George, 4th Duke of Marlborough and cousin of the sitter. It is possible that Lady Caroline may have inherited the painting from Georgiana or her husband, William, 5th Duke of Devonshire [1748-1811], and bequeathed it to her son. George's son was Henry Agar-Ellis, whose daughter, the Hon. Lilah Agar-Ellis, later Lady Annaly, inherited the painting.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1867

  • National Portraits, South Kensington Museum, London, 1867, no. 470.

1885

  • The Works of Thomas Gainsborough, R.A., Grosvenor Gallery, London, 1885, no. 40.

Bibliography

1903

  • Gower, Lord Ronald Sutherland. Thomas Gainsborough. London, 1903: repro. opp. 66.

1953

  • Waterhouse, Ellis Kirkham. "Preliminary Check List of Portraits by Thomas Gainsborough." Walpole Society 33 [1948-1950] (1953): 29.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 144, repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 140, repro.

1992

  • Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 66-68, repro. 67.

Wikidata ID

Q20179457

You may be interested in

Loading Results