Sophia Anne Delaval, Mrs John Jadis (1755 - 1793), holding a 'Claude glass' or 'landscape mirror' to the Landscape
attributed to Edward Alcock (fl.1745 - 1778)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1775 - 1778
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
914 x 559 mm (36 x 22 in)
Order this imageCollection
Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland
NT 1276770
Caption
The frame tablet on this portrait identifies the sitter as Anne Delaval (1737 – 1812), but comparison with a similar picture in a private collection has shown that she is, in fact, from the next generation of Delavals. Sophia was the second daughter of John, Lord Delaval. She returned from her travels in Europe ‘married’ to a Henry Devereux of Bordeaux and pregnant. She later returned to France for a year, but this time came back with another husband, a John Jadis, who did not fit in with the Delavals, at one point quarelling with his brother-in-law, Lord Tyrconnel, and challenging him to a duel. The artist was probably the Alcock living and working in Bath in 1757. In 1759/60 he was living at Birmingham, and by 1778 he was in London 1778. His signed and dated portraits range from 1762 to 1774, including neat, small full-lengths in the style of Devis.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Sophia Anne Delaval, Mrs John Jadis (1755 - 1793), holding a 'Claude glass' to the landscape, attributed to Edward Alcock (fl.1745 - 1778). A full-length portrait, standing, wearing a puce and grey silk dress and blue wrap, holding either a ‘claude glass’ or a ‘landscape mirror’ to the landscape in her left hand; a plinth to the left, drapery upper left and landscape beyond.
Full description
Sophia Anne Delaval appears to be holding a ‘claude glass’, a small, darkly tinted, slightly convex optical device, designed to provide a wide angled framing effect and add graduated amber tones to what is shown through it. The device was named after the 17th century French painter, Claude Lorrain, who often depicted this effect in his oeuvre. As it is difficult to determine if there is a colour differential in the painting’s ‘claude glass’, the object could be a ‘Landscape Mirror’ instead: a clear, convex device to see the landscape in reflection and often held over the shoulder. The attribution to Edward Alcock was suggested by Anthony Mould. This artist was probably the Alcock recorded to have who lived in Bath (c.1757), Birmingham (1759 to 1760) and London (1778), when an Alcock (with no other initials) exhibited small portraits and genre pictures at the Royal Acadamy that year. His signed and dated portraits range from 1762 to 1774, including neat, small full-lengths in the style of Devis. Sophie was the second daughter of John, Lord Delaval. At the age of 21 she travelled in Europe, where she met her first husband, Henry Devereux of Bordeaux. In 1778 she returned, pregnant, but without her ‘husband’, and later gave birth to a boy, Henry. She later returned to France for a year, but this time came back with another husband, a John Jadis (an ensign in the 59th Regiment of Foot), whom she had purportedly married in the Catholic Cathedral in Brussels. On the insistence of her father, they were married again, on 6th February 1780, at St. Mary’s, Lambeth. Jadis did not fit in with the Delavals, once challenging his brother-in-law, Lord Tyrconnel, to a duel. The couple parted after six years, after which Jadis was paid £100 per annum by Sir John. Sophia died in 1793, leaving £96 in unpaid bills (probably for opium). Her son was brought up by his grandmother, Susanna, at Seaton.
Provenance
accepted in lieu of tax by H.M. Treasury and transferred to the National Trust in 2009.
Marks and inscriptions
Frame tablet: ANNE DELAVAL, b.1737 d.1812 daughter of / Capt. Francis Blake Delaval R.N. and / wife of The Hon Sir William Stanhope / TILLY KETTLE
Makers and roles
attributed to Edward Alcock (fl.1745 - 1778), artist previously catalogued as attributed to Tilly Kettle (1735 - Aleppo 1786), artist previously catalogued as after William Bell (c.1735 - 1794), artist Hugh Barron (London c.1747 – London 1791), artist
Exhibition history
The Lie of the Land, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, 2019
References
Blanchard 2019: Fay Blanchard, Gerrie van Noord, Anthony Spira (contributors), The lie of the land (exh. cat.), Milton Keynes: MK Gallery, 2019., p.217 Green 2007: Martin Green, The Devals: A Family History, Newcastle, 2007, pp.97-98