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Isabella, Countess of Hertford

1765
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The sitter’s formal French gown is most likely the grand habit commissioned for her presentation at Versailles on November 20, 1763. The wife of the British ambassador experienced great anxiety at the event, which may have been caused by the difficulty of moving gracefully in a cumbersome court dress. The diamond jewelry was reputedly valued at sixty thousand pounds. Her husband reported that Lady Hertford was magnificently prepared for the ceremony, her dress beautiful, and the retinue of pages, officers, and servants in livery all outfitted for the "nobly done" occasion.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Isabella, Countess of Hertford
  • Artist: Alexander Roslin (Swedish, Malmö 1718–1793 Paris)
  • Date: 1765
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: Unframed: 33 3/4 × 28 3/4 in. (85.7 × 73 cm)
    Framed: 44 1/8 × 37 in. (112 × 94 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow (GLAHA 43803)
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts