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Notes
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Cleopatra held a banquet for her lover Mark Antony, and when he expressed surprise at its magnificence she removed a priceless pearl from her ear and dissolved it in her glass of wine which she then drank. This was, apparently, to indicate her indifference to luxury. Lady Felton, in a suggestive pose and wearing loose clothing, plucks one of her large pearl earrings and we suppose she is going to place it in the gold goblet she is holding. The sitter is the wife of Sir Thomas Felton, 4th Baronet, Comptroller of the Household to Charles II's Queen, Catherine of Braganza. The Queen particularly patronised this Catholic artist in England. Lady Elizabeth married Felton, a small but excellent horseman, against her parents wishes in 1675. According to the artist's records, her portrait was painted for the Duke of Monmouth (she was probably his mistress) in 1678/1679.
Title
Lady Elizabeth Howard (1656–1681), Lady Felton, as Cleopatra
Date
1678–1689
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 114.5 x W 84 cm
Accession number
1257081
Acquisition method
bequeathed by Ralph Bankes, 1981
Work type
Painting
National Trust, Kingston Lacy
Wimborne Minster, Dorset BH21 4EA England
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Cleopatra Yale Center for British Art -
Catherine of Braganza (1638–1705), Queen Consort of Charles II Government Art Collection -
Abbate Aurelio Cezza The Schorr Collection -
The Death of Cleopatra Victoria Art Gallery -
King Charles II (1630–1685) Government Art Collection -
Lady Elizabeth Howard (1656–1681), Lady Felton, as Cleopatra National Trust, Kingston Lacy -
Elizabeth Murray (1626–1698), Duchess of Lauderdale National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait - 12 more
