Elizabeth, Countess Grosvenor, mezzotint by Henry Greenhead after Sir Thomas Lawrence 1818

Hand-colored 1891 mezzotint engraving by Henry T Greenhead of Lawrence's portrait of Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, later Marchioness of Westminster, wife of the 2nd Marquess of Westminster. Lawrence's portrait was painted when she was 21, before her marriage.

Charles Robert Leslie considered this portrait to be "the most beautiful of Lawrence's female heads," and a perfect example of how his best portraits were sometimes the ones he worked on only briefly. Lawrence completed this portrait in one two-hour sitting. In 1881, Lady Westminster recalled Lawrence and her sitting for the portrait 63 years before:

"His manners were what is called extremely 'polished' (not the fault of the present times). He wore a large cravat, and had a tinge about him of the time of George IV., pervading his general demeanor. . . . I should not say he was amusing, but what struck me most, during my two hours sitting in Russell Square, was the perfection of the drawing of his portraits. Before any color was put on, the drawing itself was so perfectly beautiful that it seemed almost a sin to add any color."

Lawrence painted her seated half-length, body facing front with head turned in three-quarter profile to right; wearing a sheer gauze over-dress with long full ruffled sleeves over a white satin slip with short puffed sleeves and a thin blue sash under the bust, no jewels except for a small brooch at the bust, and her black hair in a topknot with ringlets.

paintings 1797 births 1810 s dresses 1810 s portrait paintings from the united kingdom 1818 portrait paintings of women 1891 deaths 19th century female hair fashion in art brooches in art empire silhouette exhibited at the royal academy summer exhibition female black hair in art female portrait paintings by thomas lawrence females facing right in art females with white satin dresses in art gauzes marchionesses in the peerage of great britain mezzotints people with grey background in art portrait paintings of females with blue cloth belts salon of 1818 transparent clothing in art women looking right in art works after thomas lawrence polish art aristocracy female portrait facing front portrait henry greenhead

1860 - 1891

Royal collection of the United Kingdom

http://commons.wikimedia.org/

public domain