General Sir Robert Wilson (1777-1849)

Alfred, Count d' Orsay (1801 - 1852)

Pencil on paper

1837

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General Sir Robert Wilson (1777-1849)
  • About the work
    Location
    Country: Other
    City: stolen
  • 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.
  • Explore
    Places
    Subjects
    male portrait, man, 19th century costume, wing collar, general
    Materials & Techniques
    paper (as artists material), pencil, pencil drawing
  • Details
    Artist
    Alfred, Count d' Orsay (1801 - 1852)
    Title
    General Sir Robert Wilson (1777-1849)
    Date
    1837
    Medium
    Pencil on paper
    Dimensions
    height: 28.00 cm, width: 20.50 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Colnaghi, February 1955
    Inscription
    lr: D'orsay / fecit. / 1837 ; bc: Sir Robert Wilson.
    GAC number
    3057