Circle of George Chinnery (1774 - 1852) Portrait of a lady o...

Hammer

£20,000

Circle of George Chinnery (1774 - 1852)
Portrait of a lady of exceptional wealth and courtly grandeur and landscape beyond
Oil on canvas

Painted by a European hand, this sumptuous portrait of an Indian girl of exceptional wealth was in the collection of the East Indian Company Colonel, William Henry Lowther, by the mid-19th century. Her jewels and beauty allude to great power. The exceptional emerald girdle worn across the shoulder and falling below the reveal of her dress is opulent to say the least. Partly covered by pearls of the best quality, these are bit part players to the necklace that hold a c. 20 carat diamond and three enormous drops. Here the artist gives us a hint of the cross-over of culture between India and England. The acknowledgement, from Anne Boleyn's famous jewels, in Holbein's courtly portrait. The flowers in her hair and exotic bird feathers mounted on gold complete the image of opulence, power, and sexuality. The artist and sitter have left us with a fiercely regal portrait, where cultures have enmeshed. 

Provenance:
Presumably William Lowther (1753 - 1833);
William Henry Lowther (1821 - 1898);
The Charles J. McManus Jr. Collection;
Thence by descent;
Private Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dimensions:
(Canvas) 32.5 in. (H) x 26.75 in. (W)
(Frame) 38 in. (H) x 32 in. (W)