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Caroline, Duchess of Marlborough and Her Daughter Lady Caroline Spencer

Print
20/04/1768 (published)
Artist/Maker
Robert Sayer (publisher)
Purcell, Richard (engraver)
Reynolds, Joshua (Sir) (artist)
Place of origin
London (published)

Portrait, three-quarter-length, seated, facing half right, looking to front and holding a child before her. In the right background is a landscape.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Portraits
Object type
Print
TitleCaroline, Duchess of Marlborough and Her Daughter Lady Caroline Spencer (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Mezzotint
Mezzotint
Brief description
Print, portrait of Caroline Duchess of Marlborough and her infant daughter Lady Caroline Spencer, mezzotint, probably by Richard Purcell (alias H. Fowler), 1768.
Physical description
Portrait, three-quarter-length, seated, facing half right, looking to front and holding a child before her. In the right background is a landscape.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.2cm
  • Width: 25.1cm
Dimensions taken from Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1959. London: HMSO, 1964.
Style
British School
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'J. Reynolds pinxt. H. Fowler fecit. Publish'd according to Act of Parliament 20th. Apr. 1768. London, Printed for Robt. Sayer, at No.53 in Fleet Street.' (Lettered with name of sitters and)
  • '107' (Numbered)
Credit line
Given by Mrs E. B. Westwood
Production
Although this print is lettered 'H. Fowler fecit' such an artist is not traceable in the principal dictionaries. He is however, identified as Purcell by A. Graves and W. V. Cronin on p.625 of A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1899-1901, when the authors describe the portrait of Caroline, Duchess of Marlborough and refer to the prints executed after the painting. H. Fowler was probably an alias of the engraver Richard Purcell (died ca.1766).

The original portrait was painted in 1764 or 1765.
Subjects depicted
Duchess
Children
Landscape
Spencer, Caroline (Lady)
Spencer, Caroline (4th Duchess of Marlborough)
Bibliographic references
  • Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1959 . London: HMSO, 1964.
  • Smith, John Chaloner. British Mezzotinto Portraits. London: Henry Sotheran & Co., 1883.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.373-1959

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O568758/caroline-duchess-of-marlborough-and-print-purcell-richard/
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