Prince Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (1822-1891)

Alfred, Count d' Orsay (1801 - 1852)

pencil on paper

19 September 1846
  • About the work
    Location
    Country: France
    City: Paris
    Place: British Embassy
  • 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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  • Details
    Title
    Prince Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (1822-1891)
    Date
    19 September 1846
    Medium
    pencil on paper
    Dimensions
    height: 28.00 cm, width: 20.00 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Colnaghi, February 1955
    Inscription
    Sd&Ins Mr
    GAC number
    3041