The Madonna, said to be Elizabeth Chudleigh, Countess of Bristol (1720-1788)
Nathaniel Hone the elder, RA (Dublin 1718 – London 1784)
Category
Art / Miniatures
Date
1759
Materials
Watercolour on ivory
Measurements
3.6 x 3 cm
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 851884
Summary
Portrait miniature, watercolour on ivory, The Madonna, said to be Elizabeth Chudleigh, Countess of Bristol (1720-1788). 1759. Oval. Head and shoulders portrait of a woman, turned to the left, gazing at the spectator, as The Madonna, in a dark blue hood. Dark blue eyes, pale complexion modelled with blue-brush-strokes. Plain grey background. Signed and dated lower right in black paint 'NH/1759', the initials in monogram. The gold case is engraved 'Horace Hone pinxt'. The engraved god case mistakenly gives the artist as Horace Hone, Nathaniel's son who would have been aged 4 or 5 in 1759. The identification with Elizabeth Chudleigh appears to be reasonable considering Farrer's statement that it was fastened to the comanion miniature of her husband, the 3rd Earl of Bristol, ICK/P/188.
Provenance
Part of the Bristol Collection. Acquired by the National Trust in 1956 under the auspices of the National Land Fund, later the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Makers and roles
Nathaniel Hone the elder, RA (Dublin 1718 – London 1784), artist