A Previously-Unpublished Gilbert Stuart Portrait of Emily, Duchess of Leinster

(this post is pressented by Jeanne Grimsby)
Gilbert Stuart was born in Rhode Island in 1755 and moved to Scotland in 1771 at the age of 16 to study with Cosmo Alexander. Following the death of Alexander, Stuart returned to Rhode Island in 1773. He moved to England in 1775. There, he developed a successful career but was plagued by financial difficulties that caused him to flee to Ireland in 1787. He remained in Ireland until 1793, when he again fled mounting debt and returned to the United States. During his time in Ireland, he painted these portraits of the Second Duke of Leinster, and of the Dukes’s mother, the Dowager Duchess of Leinster.

In 1787, the year he arrived in Ireland, Stuart painted this portrait of William Robert Fitzgerald, Second Duke of Leinster, wearing the Order of Saint Patrick:

Formerly the property of the Montclair Art Museum, it was sold in 2010 to benefit the Acquisition Endowment Fund.

Stuart’s Portrait of Emily, Duchess of Leinster 

Five years after painting his portrait of the Second Duke of Leinster, Stuart painted this previously-unpublished portrait of his mother. Emily [Lady Emilia Mary Lennox], the Dowager Duchess of Leinster was a woman whose life was even more eventful than Stuart’s own. Born in 1731, Emily was the second of the famous Lennox sisters, daughters of Charles Lennox, Second Duke of Richmond, and illegitimately descended from King Charles II of England. At fifteen, she married James FitzGerald, Earl of Kildare, and went to live in Ireland. The marriage was a happy one despite Lord Kildare's constant infidelities, and the couple had nineteen children. After the death of Lord Kildare in 1773, the Duchess caused a sensation by marrying her children's tutor, William Ogilvie, with whom she had begun an affair some years earlier. Ogilvie was the natural father of her youngest son from her first marriage. A further three children were born to them after their marriage. Twelve of her 22 children predeceased her. She died on 27 March 1814 in Grosvenor Square, London.

The simple background includes the suggestion of a chair with red damask upholstery. The sitter’s hands are summarily indicated as a pinkish blur in the lower left. The supposed date of c.1792 begs the question of Stuart’s completion of the costume and background, as he left many unfinished portraits behind when he fled from Ireland in 1793. However, the cursory nature of the work in those areas would seem to suggest that Stuart completed this painting himself.

Until 1952, this painting was in the collection at Oakly Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare, once the home of Sarah Lennox, Emily’s sister. It was sold in 1952 by Tormeys Auction Rooms Dublin in an estate dispersal. The painting descended in the family of the purchaser until about 2002. It was bought from a London dealer by the current owner.

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a portrait of a young Lady EMILY LENNOX

artist unknown

[The Stuart portraits mentioned here are not listed in the Lawrence Park volumes.  However, Edward, Lord Fitzgerald (1763-1798) is. Stuart often painted extended family members. The portrait of young Edward depicts a dashing modern young man.  He is also a son of Emily. Watch for this upcoming post!] 

Captain Wiliam Locker is up for auction, the claim is that it is an original copy by Stuart of his own original. He did make copies....

Captain William Locker was active in the British naval service beginning in 1746, served with distinction in the 1860s, married an Admiral's daughter, and was promoted to captain in 1768.  He took command of different frigates and during this period one of his lieutenants was the nineteen year old Horatio Nelson.  Locker's teachings had a lasting effect on Nelson.

Locker continued to serve England during times of conflict with France and Spain. In 1793 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Greenwich Hospital.

From Lawrence Park:

London c 1785, Canvas 34 x 30 inches.  Half length, turned three quarters to the left, with his  brown eyes directed to the  spectator.  His sparse white hair is tied in a queue bow, and he wears a naval uniform coat of dark blue  with white facings and gold braid and buttons, and a white stock.  The plain  background is dark brown.

FROM:  

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection

This one is considered and known as an original Gilbert Stuart.

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Now up for auction at "Freeman's" on April 25 is, a stated original Stuart COPY of this portrait by the master, for 25,000. to 35,000. USD : seen just below.

Notes on this portrait indicate that according to tradition, Stuart painted this copy of his portrait of Captain Locker at the request of Locker's daughter.  Stuart's original work of 1785 is in the collection of the Maritime Art Museum, Greenwich, as seen above.  Lawrence Park does not mention a copy of this painting by Gilbert Stuart; he would have mentioned an original Stuart copy if there was one...

The provenance states:

"From the family collection of a Philadelphia Gentleman."

The copy is too good for me to determine whether it is an original Stuart or not.  We know he made copies of his Washington portrait.  Unfortunately he never signed his portraits.

Wait there is ANOTHER copy! This one is at the Nelson Society.  Here the portrait is definitely a la Stuart, but the clouds are again different and the painting is not attributed to Stuart.

Captain William Locker was famous in his time.  These portraits are all excellent in providing us a likeness of the captain.

The portrait below is interesting as it shows Cap Locker at an older age.  The painter is not known.

From my favorite (living) portrait painter.... her comments on this particular post I agree with completely.  

Jeanne wrote "I just came across your April 18 blog post.  What a magnificent painting that first one is.  Absolutely wonderful.  It reminds me of your own Stuart in its strength.  The other two are a mystery. They are Stuart-like yet much weaker in execution.  What seems odd to me is that the faces are so exactly alike that the second and third almost could be traced from the original, yet the coloring is very different -- it  makes the sitter look much older.  The backgrounds are not typical for him either, I don't think.  Darn that man for never signing anything."

MORE FROM JEANNE: 

Rereading your post, Park's description [see Lawrence Park description above] seems not to fit any of the three portraits of William Locker:

Both of the portrais in which Locker is shown in uniform have sky backgrounds.  In the portrait with the brown background, he was not in uniform.  Makes you wonder whether Park was relying on secondhand information.  Or there is a fourth painting, or the one in the Maritime Museum was overpainted.

The portrait of Locker as an older man was by Lemuel Francis Abbott-- there is an interesting wikipedia article about him.

To me the coloring of the painting in the Maritime Museum looks more like Abbott's work.

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Perhaps the painting seen and described by Lawrence Park....is missing?  We are LOOKING FOR A NAVAL UNIFORM & a PLAIN BROWN BACKGROUND !

I wonder if the Maritime Museum portrait is an original Stuart.  Usually his men have ruddy cheeks, the coloring is so drab!

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