Geraldine Georgiana Mary Anson, Marchioness of Bristol (1834-1927)
The Hon. Henry Richard Graves (1818 - 1882)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1870 (monogrammed and dated) - 1870 (exh at RA)
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
876 x 686 mm (34 1/2 x 27 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 851728
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Geraldine Georgiana Mary Anson, Marchioness of Bristol (c.1843 - 1927) by The Hon. Henry Richard Graves (1818 - 1882), signed and dated behind the vase: H G (in monogram) 1870. A half-length portrait of a woman, head inclined slightly to the right, gazing at the spectator, seated at a small table to the left on which stands a Chinese celadon-glazed vase, facing, wearing a low-cut white satin dress trimmed with green ribbon and embroidered with small pink roses and edged with lace; pearl drop earrings and single strand necklace; gilt pearl pendant brooch in bodice; a decorated fan (which is in the museum) held in her right hand. The fan is in the Ickworth collection (NT 852885).
Full description
Geraldine Georgiana Mary Anson (d.1927), daughter of General the Hon.George Anson of Lichfield. Married in 1862 Frederick William John Hervey, 3rd Marquess of Bristol (1834 - 1907). They only had two daughters, Katherine Adine Geraldine Hervey (1864 - 1948), who married in 1886, Allan Harvey Brummond of Warwich; and Alice Adeliza Hervey who married in 1896, George Joliffe, the 3rd Lord Hylton (1862-1945) - he was a Lord in Waiting to George V from 1915 - 18 and Captain of the Yeoman of the Guard until 1924. Lady Geraldine died in 1927, knocked over by a taxi cab in London. The son of her brother in law Augustus Henry Charles Hervey (1837 - 1875), Frederick William Fane Hervey (1863 - 1951) became 4th Marquess of Bristol. Lady Geraldine made the important collection of fans, part of which is displayed on the Landing. Her interest in the subject led to her being elected to the Worshipful Company of Fanmakers. The portrait shows her holding one of the best examples from the collection. The presence of the vase on the table seems to suggest an interest in Chinese monochrome ceramics. Lady Geraldine was also responsible for much of the re-planting in the garden, notably Lady Geraldine's Walk on the north side of the house.
Provenance
Accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to the National Trust, 1956.
Credit line
Ickworth, The Bristol Collection (acquired through the National Land Fund and transferred to The National Trust in 1956)
Makers and roles
The Hon. Henry Richard Graves (1818 - 1882), artist
References
Farrer 1908 Edmund Farrer, Portraits in Suffolk Houses (West), 1908, no. 75