Charles Turner after Thomas Lawrence.

[Robert Stewart, Marquis of Londonderry.]

16 x 22 inches

A three-quarter length mezzotint portrait (proof before title) engraved by Charles Turner after Thomas Lawrence and published in London in 1814.

Sir Thomas Lawrence was the undisputed, leading portrait painter of the early C19th and the worthy successor to the likes of Reynolds and Gainsborough. This striking portrait of Robert Stewart, Marquis of Londonderry, is a great example of his work, beautifully translated into mezzotint by the immensely talented engraver, Charles Turner.

The sitter was created Marquis of Londonderry in 1816 upon his father's death and this portrait marks his accession. More commonly known as Viscount Castlereagh, Stewart had an illustrious and at times controversial career as a British politician and statesman. He was involved in the suppression of the 1798 rebellion in Ireland and the consequent Act of Union but also played a major diplomatic role on the European stage brokering peace after the Napoleonic wars and participating in the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Many of his decisions made him unpopular

£650