John Jones after George Romney

Caroline, Duchess of Marlborough

15 x 24 inches

A full-length mezzotint portrait of Caroline, the Duchess of Marlborough; engraved by John Jones after Romney and published in London in 1792.

In this striking study the Duchess stands in a rural landscape resting her left elbow on an imposing stone plinth. She is dressed in a flowing, almost Grecian, gown; low cut and informal with a stole draped around her neck. The classical illusion is reinforced by a rotunda in the distance behind the plinth. The landscape, however, remains both resolutely English and expansive reminding us of the landed wealth and political power of the Blenheim Estate and Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.

Caroline Russell (1743-1811) was the daughter of the Duke of Bedford so her marriage to the 4th Duke of Marlborough in 1762 represented the coming together of two great aristocratic dynasties and typified the consolidation of power and wealth that hallmarked the early years of Gorge III's reign. She and the duke had 8 children, many of whom went on to make advantageous marriages and alliances themselves. The duchess died at Blenheim in 1811. Although painted by Joshua Reynolds in 1776 the duchess chose his rival, George Romney, for this more reflective study later in life.