Object Literature
The hand here is very competent and was obviously very well versed in the technique of Chiaroscuro, using the contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in modelling.
As with the ‘selfie’ today, portraits were also a chance for more self-conscious sitters to be depicted in the latest fashions. In the eighteenth century, the upper classes entered a new era of prosperity. No longer the preserve of royalty, commissioned portraits, of oneself or one’s ancestors, became a coveted symbol of wealth and status which continued even more so in the nineteenth century. The portraits took pride of place in the home or were given to others as gifts.
One of those portraits that just has that special something… whatever that may be.