| Method | Stipple |
| Artist | Francesco Bartolozzi after Thomas Gainsborough |
| Published | Publish'd as the Act directs 1st, Jany. 1783, by Charkes Townley, in Arlington Street, Picadilly |
| Dimensions | Image 123 x 100 mm oval, Plate 210 x 164 mm, Sheet 235 x 191 mm |
| Notes |
Half-length portrait of Margaret Georgiana Spencer after Thomas Gainsborough (Waterhouse 629). Set within an oval, her body faces the front, and her head is turned partially to the right. She crosses her hands over her chest, and she wears her hair up in a large do. Trees fill the background of the image. Margaret Georgiana Spencer, Countess Spencer (1737 - 1814) was the daughter of Rt Hon Stephen Poyntz, and in 1755, she married John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer. The two were noted philanthropists, and they became earl and countess in 1765, a reward granted by the Duke of Newcastle for John's political loyalty to the Whig party. Francesco Bartolozzi (1727-1815) was an Italian engraver. The son of a goldsmith, Bartolozzi studied painting in Florence, trained as an engraver in Venice and began his career in Rome. In 1763 Richard Dalton, art dealer and librarian to George III, met him and invited him to London, promising him a post as engraver to the king. Bartolozzi moved to London the following year, and remained for thirty-five years. He executed numerous engravings for the King. He also made many engravings of paintings by Italian masters and by his friend, the painter Giovanni Cipriani. In 1768 Bartolozzi was the only engraver to become a founder member of the Royal Academy of Arts. He moved to Lisbon in 1802 as director of the National Academy. Thomas Gainsborough FRSA (christened 14 May 1727, died 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. He surpassed his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds to become the dominant British portraitist of the second half of the 18th century. He preferred landscapes to portraits, and is credited as the originator of the 18th-century British landscape school. Gainsborough was a founding member of the Royal Academy. O'Donoghue 1, Calabi & De Vesme 1109 ii/iii, Horne 62 |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £120.00 |
| Stock ID | 40085 |