
Topham Beauclerk mingled with an artistic and literary crowd such as Joshua Reynolds and Samuel Johnson. She not only was a warm and witty hostess to those luminaries but she was a gifted artist in her own right. She was one of Wedgewood's most popular designers and a talented book illustrator. Her artistic endeavours were not publicly acknowledged in her time for she eventually had to depend on her art to make a living, another scandalous mark against her.
Her portraits show a woman who either eschewed jewelry or wore very little with the exception of this portrait ca. 1760 by an unknown artist. Here she wears a simple but elegant pearl necklace with matching earrings.
References
Wikipedia : Diana Beauclerk
Carola Hicks (2001). Improper Pursuits: The Scandalous Life of an Earlier Lady Diana Spencer. Pan Books
No comments
Post a Comment
You're AWESOME! Thanks for the comment and feedback. You do make a difference on my blog!