| Portrait of the Countess of Blessington | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Thomas Lawrence |
| Year | 1822 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, portrait |
| Dimensions | 91 cm × 67 cm (36 in × 26 in) |
| Location | Wallace Collection, London |
Portrait of Countess Blessington is an 1822 portrait painting by the English artist Sir Thomas Lawrence featuring the Irish aristocrat Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington.
Marguerite was born in Clonmel to the Old English Power family. Her first marriage was to an ex-English army officer. Widowed in 1817 she married the Anglo-Irish Earl Charles Gardiner the following year. She became known as a socialite in London. Lawrence was President of the Royal Academy and Britain's leading portraitist when he painted the Countess. He had a reputation for glamorous portraits of people of fashion. He exhibited his work at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition in 1822, where it met with wide critical acclaim and launched Blessington as a celebrity.
Today the painting is in the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square in Marylebone. Hanging nearby is another work by Lawrence depicting Lord Hertford, a former owner of the property.
References
- Lipska p.8
- Levey p.16
- Lispka p.24
- https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/l/lawrence/margaret.html
Bibliography
- Levey, Michael. Sir Thomas Lawrence. Yale University Press, 2005.
- Lipska, Aneta. The Travel Writings of Marguerite Blessington: The Most Gorgeous Lady on the Tour. Anthem Press, 2017.