Edward Smith Stanley (1752–1834), Twelfth Earl of Derby, Elizabeth, Countess of Derby (Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, 1753–1797), and Their Son (Edward Smith Stanley, 1775–1851)
Angelica Kauffmann
ca. 1776 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings
In an imagined interior brimming with references to classical antiquity, this young aristocratic family makes a highly fashionable display of domestic bliss. The countess’s costume is vaguely classical, while her husband wears stylish fancy dress inspired by Van Dyck’s portraits from a century before. Unfortunately, the marriage was an unhappy one; roughly two years after Kauffmann painted this portrait, the countess left her husband for a lover. After her death, he married the actress Elizabeth Farren, whose celebrated portrait by Thomas Lawrence hangs in Gallery 628.
- Artist
- Angelica Kauffmann
- Date
- ca. 1776
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Department
- European Paintings
- Credit line
- Gift of Bernard M. Baruch, in memory of his wife, Annie Griffen Baruch, 1959
