Two Girls, possibly Lady Rachel Cavendish, later Lady Morgan and Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, later Lady Lowther (d.1747), the Daughters of William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire
after Sir Godfrey Kneller (Lübeck 1646 - London 1723)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1700
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1860 x 1270 mm
Order this imageCollection
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire
NT 1129273
Caption
This picture is inscribed on the reverse ‘Miss Cavendish and Lady Mary’, but this sadly does little to help identify the sitters. Their generation seems to be that of the 2nd Duke, and the inscription could refer to his eldest daughter, Lady Mary Cavendish. Although this undoubtedly leaves the ‘Miss Cavendish’ unexplained, it is possible that one of her younger sisters was intended. This would date the picture to the first decade of the 18th century. It would appear that this picture belongs with the Dahl of ‘Rachel Russell’, wife of the 2nd Duke, in which case, it is even more plausibly of two of her daughters. Another theory is that if both are in the act of touching or holding orange blossom, this could well be a joint marriage portrait of the two younger daughters, Rachel (married Sir William Morgan of Tredegar, 1723) and Elizabeth (married Sir Thomas Lowther, 2nd Bt, 1723).
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Two Girls, possibly Lady Rachel Cavendish, later Lady Morgan and Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, later Lady Lowther (d.1747) the daughters of Willilam Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire, after Sir Godfrey Kneller (Lübeck 1646/9 - London 1723). Full-length portraits; the girl on the left seated wearing a white dress and blue cloak; the other standing, wearing a yellow dress and holding a basket of flowers.
Provenance
in Lady Louisa Cavendish 1860 catalogue of Hardwick Hall; thence by inheritance until, following the death of Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895 - 1950), Hardwick Hall and its contents were accepted by HM Treasury in part payment of death duties and transferred to the National Trust, in 1959
Credit line
Hardwick Hall, The Devonshire Collection (National Trust)
Marks and inscriptions
on verso Miss Cavendish and Lady Mary
Makers and roles
after Sir Godfrey Kneller (Lübeck 1646 - London 1723), artist