English
Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby
The Irish actress Elizabeth Farren made her London debut in 1777 and soon became one of the most popular comic performers of the day. This portrait depicts her as an elegant young woman at the height of her career, before she retired from the stage to marry her aristocratic protector. Lawrence’s bold brushwork captures the sheen of satin and the plushness of fur, but his painting displeased the sitter, who asked the twenty-one-year-old artist to alter the depiction of her unfashionably slender figure.
Artwork Details
- Title: Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby
- Artist: Sir Thomas Lawrence (British, Bristol 1769–1830 London)
- Date: 1790
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 94 in. × 57 1/2 in. (238.8 × 146.1 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of Edward S. Harkness, 1940
- Object Number: 50.135.5
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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Multiple artists/makers
1792
Sir Thomas Lawrence
Elizabeth Farren, Countess of Derby
1790
Sir Thomas Lawrence
1814
Sir Thomas Lawrence
Benjamin Rouse Jr.
1813 (?)
Sir Thomas Lawrence
ca. 1824–25
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