Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Macbeth
after John Singer Sargent, RA (Florence 1856 - London 1925)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1888 - 1899
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1096 x 568 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Smallhythe Place, Kent
NT 1118236
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, after John Singer Sargent, RA (Florence 1856 - London 1925). Inscribed in pencil, in capitals, down edge: CARR. A copy after the original in Tate Britain from an invented pose, not seen in the performance of 1888 but Sargent was struck by the actress's appearance. Oscar Wilde, who saw Terry's arrival at Sargent's Chelsea studio, remarked, 'The street that on a wet and dreary morning has vouchsafed the vision of Lady Macbeth in full regalia magnificently seated in a four-wheeler can never again be as other streets: it must always be full of wonderful possibilities.'
Provenance
acquired with Smallhythe Place by National Trust in 1939
Credit line
Smallhythe Place, The Ellen Terry Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
after John Singer Sargent, RA (Florence 1856 - London 1925), artist
Exhibition history
Re-defining the Diva, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2023 - 2025