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Notes
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The sitter is believed to be Harriet Churchill, the wife of Sir Everard Fawkener, English ambassador to Istanbul from 1737 to 1746. Fawkener and the Swiss painter Liotard had become acquainted in the Turkish capital, where the artist produced portraits of members of the British colony. In the mid-1750s the two met again in London, where this portrait was probably painted. Lady Fawkener is described in contemporary accounts as a – very intriguing and – pretty-ish woman who danced well. Here she is shown holding a thread and picking something from a sewing-box, which is perhaps a reference to her husband‘s former profession as a merchant of cloth and silk. She is set against an unadorned background and portrayed with much directness, two characteristics of Liotard's innovative style of portraiture.
Liotard also produced a portrait of Lady Fawkener‘s husband (dated to 1754), a medallion in the form of a trompe l'oeil sculpted bust, which is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. His style was admired by discerning connoisseurs of his time, including Horace Walpole.
Title
Lady Fawkener
Date
c.1760
Medium
pastel on vellum
Measurements
H 73.6 x W 58.8 cm
Accession number
CVCSC : 0288.B
Work type
Drawing