Empress Josephine (de Beauharnais), Empress of France (1763–1814) Tuning her Harp
French School
Category
Art / Miniatures
Date
1800 - 1900
Materials
Watercolour on ivory
Measurements
210 mm (H); 160 mm (W); 375 mm (H); 315 mm (W)
Place of origin
France
Order this imageCollection
Powis Castle and Garden, Powys
NT 1180786
Caption
Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoleon I, and thus the first Empress of France. She was a highly accomplished musician and had a large music room at the Château de Malmaison. In this small watercolour on ivory she is depicted with her favourite instrument, the harp. Her chief instrument maker was George Cousineau, one of the leading harp makers of his day. Cousineau's harps were lavishly carved and painted, and would have been thought highly suitable for the salons of Paris in the decades leading up to the French Revolution in 1789.
Summary
Portrait miniature, watercolour painting on ivory, Empress Josephine (de Beauharnais), Empress of France (1763–1814) Tuning her Harp. 19th century, Rectangular. Three-quarter-length portrait of a woman, tuning her harp, turned to the left, gazing at the spectator, her left hand on the strings and her right hand in the process of tuning those strings, she is wearing a white short-sleeved dress with a yellow three-quarter over-dress, a chair to right. Printed drapes affixed to the wall with gilt studs form the background.
Provenance
Brought to Powis Castle from Walcot Hall in 1930. Purchased by the National Trust with funding from The National Heritage Memorial Fund from John George Herbert, 8th Earl of Powis and Powis Estate Trustees in August 1999.
Makers and roles
French School