Lady Lucy Graham, Countess of Powis (1793-1875)
Frederick Richard Say (1805-1860)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1818
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1270 x 1016 mm (50 x 40 in)
Order this imageCollection
Powis Castle and Garden, Powys
NT 1180949
Caption
This portrait of Lucy Graham shows her sitting against an elegant backdrop of a classical column and urn with a glimpse of a landscape beyond. Voluptuous red and gold drapery winds its way around the column, flowing into the graceful fabric of her white gown and black shawl to fill a vast expanse of the canvas. She holds a crayon and a large drawing book, suggesting her artistic sensibilities. The artist, Frederick Richard Say, was a highly successful portrait painter who gained commissions from many illustrious patrons including Earl Grey, the Duke of Wellington, George IV and Prince Albert. From 1826 to 1854 he exhibited at the Royal Academy and the British Institution.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Lady Lucy Graham, Countess of Powis (1793-1875), by Frederick Richard Say (1805-1860). A three-quarter length portrait of the daughter of the 3rd Duke of Montrose who married Edward Herbert (formerly Clive), 2nd Earl of Powis in 1818, holding a posy of flowers in her right hand. She is wearing a white gown, a pearl necklace and a black lace shawl over her right shoulder and is seated against a landscape background with classical column and red drapery swirling around it. She is holding a crayon and drawing book in her right hand.
Provenance
Accepted by HM Treasury on 21st March, 1963 in lieu of tax and conveyed to National Trust ownership on 29th November 1963. Recorded at Powis Castle in Montgomery Collections Vol VI P.148 in 1873.
Credit line
Powis Castle, The Powis Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
Frederick Richard Say (1805-1860)
References
Steegman 1957 John Steegman, A Survey of Portraits in Welsh Houses, Vol.I: North Wales, Cardiff, 1957, no. 75