Queen Victoria (1819-1901) Reigned 1837-1901, on Horseback

Alfred, Count d' Orsay (1801 - 1852)

Oil on canvas

1846

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Hospitality, Lancaster House


  • About the artist
    Alfred, Count d’Orsay, dandy and amateur artist, was born in Paris, the son of one of Napoleon’s generals. He met Lord and Lady Blessington in 1822 and was romantically interested in Lady Blessington. Perhaps to divert D’Orsay’s attention from his wife, Lord Blessington wrote a will leaving his Irish property to one of his daughters, should either marry Count D’Orsay. D’Orsay chose 15 year old Lady Harriet Anne Gardiner and the couple married in Naples in 1827. It was not a happy union. Following the death of Lord Blessington and the breakdown of the Count’s marriage, D’Orsay and Lady Blessington became a prominent couple in fashionable society. D’Orsay died in Paris in 1852, having fled there with Lady Blessington to escape his debts.
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    Materials & Techniques
    canvas, oil, oil painting
  • Details
    Artist
    Alfred, Count d' Orsay (1801 - 1852)
    Title
    Queen Victoria (1819-1901) Reigned 1837-1901, on Horseback
    Date
    1846
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 320.00 cm, width: 251.50 cm
    Acquisition
    Transferred from the Ministry of Defence, April 2017
    Inscription
    Sdbl
    Provenance
    Presented to Old War Office by Lord Derby
    GAC number
    3455