Docent Spotlight I Jane, Duchess of Gordon I Sir Joshua Reynolds | Norton Museum of Art

Welcome to the Norton Museum of Art. My name is Shaunada Shankar Al-Dusin. I'm a docent here at the Norton. In this spotlight talk, I will introduce you to an 18th century portrait titled Jane, Duchess of Gordon, painted between 1775 and 1778 by a renowned British portrait painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds. This portrait measures almost eight feet tall, five feet wide, and painted in oil on canvas. Before we explore this artwork, let us think about how paintings like Jane's came about. During the 18th century, Great Britain entered into an era of portraiture where it became a symbol of wealth and status. British artists and patrons used the term grand manner or great style to describe the art with visual cues. The grand manner included full-length, full-size portraits that showed the status of the sitter. The posture and the gesture in the portraits were derived from ancient Roman sculpture or Italian Renaissance art. Nobility and aristocrats wanted portraits by influential artists to hang in the galleries of their palaces and homes. In mid-18th century, Joshua Reynolds was considered England's leading portrait artist. I'll tell you more about the artist a little later. In this grand manner painting, Jane stands in an elegantly simple architectural space. The strong vertical wall creates a balance to the figure in the portrait. The background features a cloudy sky with light coming from the left front at an angle. The light and dark shadows add depth to the painting. As you take in these colors, richness, consider that synthetic dyes were not invented until mid-19th century. Painters' pigments were derived from natural sources such as plants, tree barks, fruits, vegetables, minerals, lichens, and insects. The artists or their apprentices had to mix the pigments with oil binder to create the paint. Now let's talk about the painting. What do you see? Reynolds not only shows Jane's beauty, but urges viewer to sense her wealth and power. She's dressed to impress. She's wearing a large, brilliant red velvet ceremonial robe with folds. The crimson silk drapery with tassels on her right echoes folds of the robe. Reynolds believed that the eye had to feel the colors, not merely see them. Jane's body faces to her right. She looks at the viewer with great self-assurance. The Duchess's powdered hair is fashionably piled high and interwoven with pearls. It is likely a wig. If not, the hair was raised with pads made of cut hair, wool, or small wire basket attached to her head and covered with hair. She holds a luxurious, bejeweled, ermine-lined Duchess's coronet in her right hand. The coronet's gold trimmings, enhanced with ermine, match the lining of the velvet robe. Her outfit consists of several layers, including a bodice, woven skirt separate from the bodice, low square-necked bodice tightly fitting at the waist is shaped with whalebone. The upper part of the bodice at the neck is framed with lace. Notice the woven skirt. It is richly embroidered in gold with tassels hanging with braids. The Duchess's sleeves have scalloped, ermine-trimmed decorations that follow the edges of a robe. The upper part of the middle sleeves are puffed and heavily decorated, while the lower sleeves are pleated with delicate lace. A slipper protrudes from the hem of the Duchess's skirt. She is covered from neck to foot in her clothing. Renals often used this technique to create a sense of height, which is enhanced by her tall hairdo. In the early 18th century, clothing was styled with French flair dominated by hoop skirts, robe a la francaise. Toward the later part of the century, robe a la anglaise became popular. A horsehair underskirt replaced the hoop. Then to highlight the backside, a tiny pillow was attached to the underskirt. It has been estimated that outfit weighed about 35 pounds. Just imagine wearing this heavy outfit with a horsehair underskirt. Now let's go back to the artist. Sir Joshua Renals was born in Great Britain in 1723. His father, the Reverend Samuel Renals, was also a schoolteacher. Early on, Renals aspired to become an artist and was also interested in literature. As a young man, he spent two years in Italy studying Renaissance masters like Michelangelo. He became immersed in the compositions and color of the great Renaissance painters of the 16th century. In 1769, Renals was elected as the first president of the Academy of Arts and received a knighthood from King George III. Renals was also an accomplished art theorist, lecturer, and writer. He wrote several essays on theory of art that were influential for many future artists. Renals also admired and was interested in 17th century Flemish artist Sir Anthony Van Dyck. Let us look at Lord Wharton's portrait painting by Van Dyck hanging next to Jane. We quickly see some similarities. These full-size classical paintings show the wealth, status, and power of the sitters. Their attires are extravagant and similar in shades and colors. It seems the same artist could have painted them even though they were painted almost 140 years apart. It is not surprising that Van Dyck's portrait painting style influenced British portraiture during the 18th century, including Renals. Now let's talk about Jane. In 1748, Jane was born in Scotland to Sir William Maxwell. As a young woman, she lived with her family in Edinburgh. It was not unusual for wealthy Scottish families to have a home in town so the girls could go to school, be part of society, and marry rich. Jane's parents' dream came true. Young Jane married Alexander, fourth Duke of Gordon, and moved into the castle. It sounds like a fairy tale, but it was not. Jane's marriage had been an arrangement from the beginning. The Duke kept his mistress at the castle and also had illegitimate children. Despite the unhappiness of her marriage, Jane allowed her status as a duchess. Eventually, they divorced with a financial agreement, but the Duke never honored it. Jane spent the rest of her life in a hotel fighting over money's vote to her. She died in 1812. What a sad ending for such a powerful woman. As a duchess, Jane was extremely popular, known for her intelligence, infectious laugh, sense of humor, and beauty. Jane was a confidante of the Tory leader, William Pitt the Younger. He respected her keen political skills. She was also admired by King George III. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce you to Lady Jane, Duchess of Gordon, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Visit the Norton Museum to view this portrait and others. This magnificent Grand Manor-style painting is in the European Gallery on the third floor. See you at the Norton.