Thomas Gainsborough lady in blue. around 1780 Portrait of a Lady in Blue canvas, oil . 76×64 cm State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (Inv. GE-3509) Media files at Wikimedia Commons

The face in the portrait

According to some researchers, the portrait depicts the daughter of Admiral Boscawen, Elizabeth, married the Duchess of Beaufort, who should then be about 33 years old (born May 28, 1747). This version is not indisputable, however, the alternative name of the painting with the French version of the title "Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort" is often used in art history. If this version is correct, then it is interesting to note that Elizabeth's mother Francis Boscowen she was also famous in her time: as one of the most active supporters of Lady Montague and a member of the blue stockings circle.

As follows from the description in the inventory book of the State Hermitage, where this painting is numbered 3509, the object is a canvas 76.5 × 63, which depicts the Duchess de Beaufort in a white dress and a light hat with ostrich feathers and blue ribbons on high powdered hair, turned slightly to the left. Around her neck is a black ribbon tied in a bow under her chin, on which hangs a golden cross. Right hand wearing a cameo bracelet, she holds a blue scarf across her chest. Image - bust.

Artistic Features

The painting dates back to the heyday of Gainsborough's talent, when he created a number of poetic portraits of women in the style of Van Dyck. The artist managed to convey the refined beauty and aristocratic elegance of the lady, the graceful movement of the hand supporting the shawl. Another art critic writes:

It is not so much the mood of the model that is conveyed, but what the artist himself is looking for in her. The "Lady in Blue" has a dreamy look, a soft line of shoulders. Her thin neck seems unable to bear the weight of her hair, and her head bows slightly, like an exotic flower on a thin stem. Built on an exquisite harmony of cold tones, the portrait seems to be woven from light strokes, varied in shape and density. It seems that the strands of hair are not made with a brush, but are drawn with a soft pencil.

Acquisition history

The portrait was bought from the previous owner by the Jägermeister A. Z. Khitrovo (1848-1912) for his private collection of English portrait painting. By the end of his life, Khitrovo owned a very significant collection of paintings for that time, among which were works by outstanding English portrait painters Gainsborough, Romney, Lawrence. In 1912, according to his will, the entire collection, including this portrait, was donated to the Hermitage, where the portrait is currently located (Inv. No. 3509). This is the only famous work Gainsborough, located in Russia.

Lawsuit of the Hermitage

The position of the Hermitage remains firm. According to a spokesperson for the museum: To use our image for some things (buildings, interiors or paintings), you need to ask the permission of the Museum. This is the law» . Iya Yots continued to appeal this decision to higher authorities. At the first hearing on cassation on September 19, 2013, the Intellectual Property Rights Court ruled that the previous decisions on appeal be overturned and the case sent back for a new trial to the Stavropol Territory Court of Appeal.

On May 5, 2014, the Arbitration Court of the Stavropol Territory, after re-examining the case, again ruled to satisfy the claims of the Hermitage. The defendant's filing of appeals and cassations against this decision with higher authorities did not change the situation. On July 6, 2015, a judge of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued a ruling refusing to transfer the cassation appeal (presentation) for consideration in a judicial session of the Judicial Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. The consideration of this case in the courts is completed.

The norms of museum law sometimes come into conflict with the actions of individuals and legal entities, especially often in the era of the development of digital copying and the Internet. The Lady in Blue trial has, however, some unique features. Unlike Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel (USA, 1999) or the National Portrait Gallery's lawsuit against Wikipedia (UK, 2009), this process takes place in terms of trademarks (trademarks). The point is to have Russian museums all property and related rights to the public domain stored by them, including the rights to create any derivative works of any sufficient (in terms of trademarks) similarity. This makes the process interesting not only from a purely legal point of view.

Notes

woman in blue (indefinite) .
husband - Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort
Ionina N. A. Thomas Gainsborough "Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort or Lady in Blue"// 100 great paintings. - M.: Veche, 2000. - ISBN 5783805793.
Voronikhina L. N. State Hermitage. - Ed. 2nd, rev. and additional - M.: Art, 1992.

“Portrait of a Lady in Blue” was painted during the peak of the artistic mastery of Thomas Gainsborough, one of the most famous English portrait and landscape painters. This is his only work, which is located in Russia. At the same time, it is one of the most mysterious paintings Hermitage. There are still disputes about who the stranger depicted in this portrait was. Thomas Gainsborough. Conversation in the Park, 1745-1746 “Gainsborough, like other great poets, was a born painter,” writes Thickness. - So, he told me that in his childhood, when he did not even think of becoming an artist, for several miles in the area there was not such a picturesque group of trees, or even a lone beautiful tree, or a green hedge, a ravine, a rock, a roadside post at the bend of the path. which would not be imprinted in his imagination so much that he could not sketch them with all accuracy by heart. Thomas Gainsborough. Portrait of daughters, 1759 Thomas Gainsborough. Portrait of the actress Sarah Siddons, 1785 At the age of 13, Thomas persuaded his father to let him go to London to study painting. And in this occupation, he succeeded - at the age of 18, Gainsborough settled in his own workshop. A year later, he married the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Beaufort, Margaret Boer. The main income for the artist was working on portraits, he said: “I paint portraits because I need to live on something, landscapes because I love to paint them, but I do music at the behest of my heart.” One of the most famous was the alleged portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort - a lady in blue. Thomas Gainsborough. Portrait of a lady in blue, late 1770s In fact, nothing is known about the woman who posed for this portrait. The most common version is that it was the daughter of Admiral Boscawen, who married the Duke de Beaufort, therefore the second, unofficial name of the painting is “Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort”. At the time of writing the picture, she should have turned 33 years old. However, some researchers question this hypothesis. The most daring version is put forward by the art historian I. Chizhova: she suggested that the portrait depicts an adventurer posing as Princess Tarakanova, Princess of Vladimir.
Thomas Gainsborough. Left - Portrait of Mrs. Graham, 1777. Right - Morning walk, ca. 1785 A beautiful stranger seems mysterious and magically attractive also thanks to Gainsborough's special writing technique. Art historians believe that he created a special type of portrait: "Without losing representativeness and splendor, his portraits seem lighter, more elegant and sophisticated." Y. Shapiro writes: “The heroes of his paintings are full of inner excitement and are truly poetic. The spirituality of the images is especially noticeable due to the external restraint in expressing feelings and the conscious "understatement" not only in facial expressions, but also in the nature of the landscape background. It is usually written with light, “melting” strokes and is a kind of accompaniment that emphasizes the lyrical sound of the work.” Portrait of Louise, Lady Kluj, c. 1778 Portrait of Mrs. Sheridan and Mrs. Tickell, 1772 Gainsborough's ceremonial portraits are neither flattering nor pompous. Art historians call their main advantages the ease, grace, naturalness, calm dignity of those who pose and the poetic spirituality of portraits. N. Ionina believes that the artist achieves this effect "through a purely pictorial solution - the beauty of color and free light strokes that create the impression of a lively and quivering life."
Thomas Gainsborough. self-portrait

"Portrait of a lady in blue" written in the period of the highest flowering of artistic skill Thomas Gainsborough- one of the most famous English portrait and landscape painters. This is his only work, which is located in Russia. At the same time, it is one of the most mysterious paintings in the Hermitage. There are still disputes about who the stranger depicted in this portrait was.

“Gainsborough, like other great poets, was a born painter,” writes Thickness. - So, he told me that in his childhood, when he did not even think of becoming an artist, for several miles in the area there was not such a picturesque group of trees, or even a lone beautiful tree, or a green hedge, a ravine, a rock, a roadside post at the bend of the path. which would not be imprinted in his imagination so much that he could not sketch them with all accuracy by heart.

At the age of 13, Thomas persuaded his father to let him go to London to study painting. And in this occupation, he succeeded - at the age of 18, Gainsborough settled in his own workshop. A year later, he married the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Beaufort, Margaret Boer. The main income for the artist was working on portraits, he said: “I paint portraits because I need to live on something, landscapes because I love to paint them, but I do music at the behest of my heart.” One of the most famous was the alleged portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort - a lady in blue.
In fact, nothing is known about the woman who posed for this portrait. The most common version is that it was the daughter of Admiral Boscawen, who married the Duke de Beaufort, therefore the second, unofficial name of the painting is “Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort”. At the time of writing the picture, she should have turned 33 years old. However, some researchers question this hypothesis. The most daring version is put forward by the art historian I. Chizhova: she suggested that the portrait depicts an adventurer posing as Princess Tarakanova, Princess of Vladimir.
The beautiful stranger seems mysterious and magically attractive also thanks to the special technique of writing Gainsborough. Art historians believe that he created a special type of portrait: "Without losing representativeness and splendor, his portraits seem lighter, more elegant and sophisticated." Y. Shapiro writes: “The heroes of his paintings are full of inner excitement and are truly poetic. The spirituality of the images is especially noticeable due to the external restraint in expressing feelings and the conscious "understatement" not only in facial expressions, but also in the nature of the landscape background. It is usually written with light, “melting” strokes and is a kind of accompaniment that emphasizes the lyrical sound of the work.”

Analysis of the work "Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort"

enlightenment gainsborough painting

“Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort” or “Lady in Blue” is a painting by the English painter Thomas Gainsborough, located in the State Hermitage Museum, where she came from the collection of A. Z. Khitrovo by will in 1916. This is the only work of Gainsborough located in Russia. The painting belongs to the second half of the 18th century (around 1780), was painted during the Enlightenment. The work dates back to the heyday of Gainsborough's talent, when he created a number of poetic portraits of women in the style of Van Dyck.

Genre of the work: portrait.

The plot of the picture: in the portrait, the viewer sees a young woman in a white open dress. Her powdered, slicked-back hair is styled in an elaborate updo and topped with a small hat with ostrich feathers and a blue ribbon. Curls descend to the very shoulders, on a thin neck there is a black ribbon, from the end of which hangs a golden cross. Wet lips are half open, brown eyes under dark eyebrows are directed into space.

Technique: canvas, oil.

Format: rectangular, 76x64 cm

Colour: The color is built on a combination of blue, gray, pink and white tones, imperceptibly passing one into another, does not create sharp contrasts for the viewer. The translucent dress of the duchess merges with her skin, as if forming a single whole with the body. Greyish-white feathers, an azure headband and powdered hair create a kind of halo around a young face with its fresh blush. "Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort" seems blue (hence its second name), as light, radiant colors with mother-of-pearl reflections shimmer like water reflecting clouds. By light - the contrast of the light figure being portrayed and the dark background. The artist conveys diffused light typical of England, a humid atmosphere that softens the outlines of objects.

The manner of writing: The layer of painting by T. Gainsborough in this work is so thin that the weaving of the canvas shines through it. Precisely positioned, on close examination they seem sharp in their sharpness, the subtlest shades shimmer from one to another. At a distance, the strokes, merging into one whole, give that movement of life, that elusive trembling that cannot be conveyed by other means. The free, slightly impetuous technique of the master gives the portrait a quivering breath. For example, wavy, sometimes intersecting, but mostly parallel blue, black and gray strokes even allow you to feel the living structure of the hair under the touch of powder. They are slightly stretched over the forehead and temples, and on lush curls their natural elasticity is felt more strongly. In contact with the hair, curls of ostrich feathers (smaller than hair) foam like surf water without breaking the overall shape of the long, curved feather.

T. Gainsborough painted the fabric of the dress with random strokes, as if on purpose, but they convey the subtlety of matter, obediently following the outlines of the figure. The strokes of the thin brush were so flawless that they turned oil paint into some kind of transparent flowing watercolor. A dense silk scarf is interpreted differently than a transparent dress: its thick folds bulge and bend, showing the fragility of the fabric.

Pigments used: blue, cobalt blue, white, ultramarine, light red kraplak, umber, natural sienna, burnt sienna, cadmium yellow, yellow ocher.

Construction of the composition: central.

Movement: A thin neck, as if unable to bear the weight of the hairstyle, and the head bows slightly, like an exotic flower on a thin stem. A hand with a bracelet supports a blue scarf on his chest, slipping off his shoulders. Sliding dreamy look, outlines pink lips, just about ready to smile, a barely noticeable turn of the head ... The image of the Duchess de Beaufort is woven from unfinished movements, barely outlined by the artist, this is what makes it especially lively and charming.

At the age of 13, Thomas persuaded his father to let him go to London to study painting. And in this occupation, he succeeded - at the age of 18, Gainsborough settled in his own workshop. A year later, he married the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Beaufort, Margaret Boer. The main income for the artist was working on portraits, he said: “I paint portraits because I need to live on something, landscapes because I love to paint them, but I do music at the behest of my heart.” One of the most famous was the alleged portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort - a lady in blue.

In fact, nothing is known about the woman who posed for this portrait. The most common version is that it was the daughter of Admiral Boscawen, who married the Duke de Beaufort, therefore the second, unofficial name of the painting is “Portrait of the Duchess de Beaufort”. At the time of writing the picture, she should have turned 33 years old. However, some researchers question this hypothesis. The most daring version is put forward by the art historian I. Chizhova: she suggested that the portrait depicts an adventurer posing as Princess Tarakanova, Princess of Vladimir.

The beautiful stranger seems mysterious and magically attractive also thanks to the special technique of writing Gainsborough. Art historians believe that he created a special type of portrait: "Without losing representativeness and splendor, his portraits seem lighter, more elegant and sophisticated." Y. Shapiro writes: “The heroes of his paintings are full of inner excitement and are truly poetic. The spirituality of the images is especially noticeable due to the external restraint in expressing feelings and the conscious "understatement" not only in facial expressions, but also in the nature of the landscape background. It is usually written with light, “melting” strokes and is a kind of accompaniment that emphasizes the lyrical sound of the work.”