18th Century Portrait Painting Countess of the Dawn – Lady Jane Stanhope as Aurora

🎨 "Countess of the Dawn" – Lady Jane Stanhope as Aurora In the Manner of Sir Joshua Reynolds
Watercolour on Paper

🖌️ Subject & Medium:

This refined and luminous watercolour on paper transcends conventional portraiture c1785. With its ethereal quality and mythological theme, it offers a poetic reimagining of Lady Jane — not simply as herself, but as an ideal, one that evokes classical purity, celestial femininity, and divine beauty.

🌅 Composition & Technique:

Set within a serene, dawn-lit grove, Lady Jane stands gracefully amidst blooming flowers, bathed in the golden glow of morning. The sky radiates delicate shades of rose, gold, and blue, suggesting the awakening of both nature and goddess. A lush, naturalistic landscape extends behind her, enhancing the pastoral ideal.

Her classically draped white satin gown flows in harmonious folds, while a gossamer sash scattered with gold stars floats around her, echoing the heavens. The artist renders her features with exquisite precision, especially her serene expression and porcelain-like hands, contrasted by looser washes that give the landscape a dreamy, poetic air.

The imagery — floral bloom, rising light, starry sash — reinforces the theme of mythological rebirth, casting Lady Jane as both muse and immortal.

👑 About the Sitter – Countess of Beauty and Influence:

Lady Jane Stanhope, Countess of Harrington (1755–1824), was one of the most admired women in Georgian Britain — a celebrated beauty, courtier, and patron of the arts. Born Jane Fleming, she was the daughter and sole heiress of Sir John Fleming, 1st Baronet. Her marriage to Charles Stanhope, who became the 3rd Earl of Harrington, catapulted her to the upper echelons of society, where she became a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte.

Renowned for her poise, wit, and charm, she was a favourite muse of leading portraitists, and this watercolour perfectly captures her in the allegorical guise of Aurora, Roman goddess of the dawn — a fitting embodiment of radiance, elegance, and the renewal she symbolized in both myth and society.

🏛️ Style – In the Grand Manner:

Executed in the spirit of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the portrait exemplifies the Grand Manner — a style that elevated portraiture by combining natural likeness with allegorical elevation. While not painted by Reynolds himself, the anonymous artist demonstrates a deep understanding of his techniques: idealized posture, classical allusion, and noble expression.

This is more than flattery — it’s an assertion of Lady Jane’s status, virtue, and timeless allure, aligning her image with ancient goddesses and Renaissance ideals.

🧑🎨 About the Artist & Influence:

The unknown hand behind this work was clearly trained in the Reynolds tradition, possibly a follower or a member of his extended circle. The piece is a testament to how Reynolds’ academic teachings influenced a generation of portraitists who sought to merge realism with classicism.

🖼️ Presentation & Conservation:

Housed in a newly added reverse-profile gold leaf frame, sympathetic to 18th-century tastes. The work has been professionally conserved and reglazed with museum-grade AR70 glass — a premium anti-reflective, UV-filtering barrier that preserves the clarity, detail, and vibrancy of the watercolour while eliminating visual distractions.

📏 Framed Dimensions:

• Height: 55 cm

• Width: 47 cm

• Depth: 1.5 cm

📜 Provenance:

• Formerly in a Private Scottish Collection

• Sold through a Notable Scottish Auction

• Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

• Exhibited at a Prestigious Middle Shire Museum

❤️ Why This Piece Stands Out:

This isn’t just a portrait — it’s a mythologized vision of one of Britain’s most fascinating aristocrats. You’ll love this work if you appreciate:

✅ Grand Manner portraiture with classical symbolism
✅ Feminine grace and 18th-century elegance
✅ Art rooted in both history and myth
✅ Museum-quality framing and conservation
✅ A collector's gem that tells a rich visual story

✅ Condition:

Professionally conserved. The watercolour remains vibrant, with some minor foxing in areas. Colours are fresh, paper stable, and protected under AR70 museum glass for long-term display brilliance.

🌍 Worldwide Shipping Available
Professionally packaged and fully insured for safe international delivery.

🖼️ Available exclusively through Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

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