| Method | Mezzotint |
| Artist | Richard Houston after Sir Joshua Reynolds |
| Published | [Printed for Robert Sayer, May 1st 1771] |
| Dimensions | Image 453 x 353 mm, Sheet 497 x 368 mm. |
| Notes |
Proof before letters and uncleaned inscription space. Finished print includes nine lines of verse below image: 'Say, little foolish flutt'ring thing, ... Where, you wanton, could you be,/Half so happy as with me? Portrait of Harriet Powell, Countess of Seaforth (died 11 December 1779). Powell was the second wife of Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth. Powell, in the character of Leonora from the opera Padlock, stands facing forwards with her head slightly tilted. She is dressed with pearls and a veil in her hair, and wears earrings, a necklace and a fur-lined robe. Upon her raised left hand perches a small singing bird. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was one of the most important figures of the eighteenth century art world. He was the first President of the Royal Academy and Britain's leading portrait painter. Through a series of lectures on the Discourses on Art at the Royal Academy he defined the style later known as the Grand Manner, an idealised Classical aesthetic. He had a profound impact on the theory and practice of art and helped to raise the status of portrait painting into the realm of fine art. A flamboyant socialite, Reynolds used his social contacts to promote himself and advance his career becoming one of the most prominent portrait painters of the period. Ex.Col.: John Tetlow Ex.Col.: Hon. Christopher Lennox-Boyd. Chaloner Smith 100, Russell 100, Hamilton p126, O'Donoghue 5, Sayer & Bennett Catalogue, 1775 6/20, Lennox-Boyd i/iii, Theatre: The Age of Garrick 112 i/ii. Condition: Trimmed within platemark at bottom. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £500.00 |
| Stock ID | 34876 |