Current Location: In storage
Titles
The Princess Charlotte
Maker(s)
Printmaker:
Golding, Richard
Publisher:
Colnaghi
Painter:
Lawrence, Thomas
(After)
Entities
Categories
Description
After the painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence, R.A. (1769-1830), (1817, exh. R.A. 1821, no. 70; H.M. the King of the Belgians, Royal Palace of Brussels). Three-quarter-length, facing front and looking out at the spectator. Dressed in high-waisted regency dress, her right arm across her body, holding a chiffon scarf which billows in an imagined breeze. Her left arm bent upwards to rest on her right breast. The painting was intended to be a present from the Princess to her husband, Prince Leopold, who celebrated his birthday on December 16th and a pendant portrait of Prince Leopold was to have been painted by Lawrence following the birth of their child. When the Princess died in childbirth on 6th November 1817, Lawrence finished the painting and presented it to Prince Leopold on his birthday as arranged. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer exhibition of 1821 after which, according to the memorial of the Princess written by the miniature painter, Charlotte Jones (1768-1847), Lawrence 'was desirous after the death of the Princess, to have this painting, so important, so pathetic, as a last memorial of her, adequately reproduced and sent the plate back to Colnaghi's eleven times to be altered before he was perfectly satisfied'. (See, Charlotte Jones, The Princess Charlotte of Wales. An illustrated monograph, Bernard Quaritch, 1885, p.149) This description of Lawrence's concerns would seem to be borne out in the large number of progress proofs which exist for Golding's plate at the British Museum. Comparison of Golding's print with the original painting reveals that Golding extended the lower edge of the composition in the execution of the plate, adding more foliage at lower right.
Notes
History note: One of 'eight proof engravings' given in 1827/8. (See, Donor Index) Annotations in Nagler give the reference/accession number '34.A.12' , a Lord Fitzwilliam album with the title, 'Portraits and mixed subjects and landscapes' which contained '19 loose prints'. The loose prints inside this album were not original to it and had no connection to Lord Fitzwilliam or his print collection. See also P.14971-R, another Dominic Colnaghi acquired print which was once contained inside this album. According to the annotation in Nagler, this Lawrence print was 'no.38' inside album 34.A.12. It is possible that this is a mistake (there were apparently only 19 loose prints inside the album) and that the print's position was in fact '18', as inscribed on the verso of the print.
Legal notes
Given by Dominic Colnaghi, 1827 or 1828
Etching and engraving, printed in black ink. Proof before addition of engraved, reeded frame, longer title for Lawrence and addition of a second plate for title, dedication and publication details. Lettered with artists' names in the margin at lower left: 'Painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence' and lower right: 'Engraved by Richard Golding'. Inscribed in graphite in margins at lower centre: '? The Princess Charlotte / N. v p 265 [Nagler, vol. 5, p.265] / Presented by Dominick Colnaghi Esq / 14 Pall Mall East'. Inscribed in graphite on the verso: '18' encircled. The print was published by Colnaghi & Co. on January 1st, 1822. See BM for an impression of the published state (1841,0809.131) and also for a series of 23 progress proofs of this print.
