{"id":55777,"date":"2024-12-24T20:52:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T01:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/?p=55777"},"modified":"2024-12-24T20:52:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-25T01:52:35","slug":"portrait-hides-scandalous-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2024\/12\/portrait-hides-scandalous-secret\/","title":{"rendered":"Painting Hides A Scandalous Secret: Sir Thomas Lawrence &#038; The Wolff Portrait"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_55778\" style=\"width: 201px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b0fd566a-3ef9-42f6-8c34-ed70240dc5aa.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55778\" class=\"wp-image-55778 \" src=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b0fd566a-3ef9-42f6-8c34-ed70240dc5aa-237x300.jpg\" alt=\"An early 19th century portrait of a woman in a silk dress and Asian-style turban pondering a book against a background of red drapes.\" width=\"191\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b0fd566a-3ef9-42f6-8c34-ed70240dc5aa-237x300.jpg 237w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b0fd566a-3ef9-42f6-8c34-ed70240dc5aa-809x1024.jpg 809w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b0fd566a-3ef9-42f6-8c34-ed70240dc5aa-768x973.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b0fd566a-3ef9-42f6-8c34-ed70240dc5aa-109x138.jpg 109w, https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b0fd566a-3ef9-42f6-8c34-ed70240dc5aa.jpg 1021w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-55778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Portrait of Isabella Wolff<\/em> by Sir Thomas Lawrence<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A British art historian claims<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> that one of the great British artists of the early nineteenth century may have hinted at a scandalous love affair in one of his portraits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It&#8217;s easy for both academics and casual gallery visitors to view the great artists of centuries ago as stoic figures of history, aware of their own greatness. However, it\u2019s important to remind ourselves of the moments from their lives when they exhibited their humanity. I\u2019ve written about these aspects of their lives regarding their relationships, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2023\/06\/point-of-pride-top-lgbt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">how they chose to express love<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2024\/01\/manets-asparagus-humor-in-the-arts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">when they decided to be lighthearted and funny in their work<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. And now, a British art historian believes he has gained fresh insight into the personal life of one of the great artists of Regency-era Britain: Sir Thomas Lawrence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Lawrence was one of the<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> most prolific British painters of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He was the principal painter for kings George III and George IV, later serving as president of the Royal Academy from 1820 to 1830. He is probably best known for <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/83\/Sir_Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington.png\/800px-Sir_Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">his 1815 portrait of the Duke of Wellington<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/41\/Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_George_IV_%281762-1830%29_-_RCIN_405918_-_Royal_Collection.jpg\/800px-Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_George_IV_%281762-1830%29_-_RCIN_405918_-_Royal_Collection.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">King George IV\u2019s coronation portrait<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. But his success extended beyond the bounds of Britain, as many foreign notables sat to have their portrait done, including <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/49\/Prince_Metternich_by_Lawrence.jpeg\/800px-Prince_Metternich_by_Lawrence.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Prince Metternich<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/a\/ae\/Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_Frederick_William_III%2C_King_of_Prussia_%281770-1840%29_-_RCIN_404944_-_Royal_Collection.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/0\/01\/Leopold_I_of_Belgium_405144.jpg\/800px-Leopold_I_of_Belgium_405144.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">King Leopold I of Belgium<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/f\/fa\/Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_Maria_II%2C_Da_Gloria%2C_Queen_of_Portugal_%281819-1853%29_-_RCIN_401414_-_Royal_Collection.jpg\/800px-Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_Maria_II%2C_Da_Gloria%2C_Queen_of_Portugal_%281819-1853%29_-_RCIN_401414_-_Royal_Collection.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Queen Maria II of Portugal<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/b\/bb\/Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_Francis_I%2C_Emperor_of_Austria_%281768-1835%29_-_RCIN_404943_-_Royal_Collection.jpg\/800px-Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_Francis_I%2C_Emperor_of_Austria_%281768-1835%29_-_RCIN_404943_-_Royal_Collection.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Emperor Francis I of Austria<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/0\/07\/Thomas_Lawrence_-_Portrait_of_Antonio_Canova_-_1998.173_-_Detroit_Institute_of_Arts.jpg\/800px-Thomas_Lawrence_-_Portrait_of_Antonio_Canova_-_1998.173_-_Detroit_Institute_of_Arts.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. For such a prominent artist, a scandal involving an affair with the wife of a foreign diplomat would have been catastrophic for his career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One of Lawrence\u2019s closest friends was Isabella Wolff, the wife of Jens Wolff, the Danish consul in London. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One particular portrait Lawrence painted of her<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> led British art historian Bendor Grosvenor to deduce that some of the more scandalous rumors about the pair may have been true. This portrait, completed in 1815, is now in the Art Institute of Chicago. Grosvenor notes that there are several classical references in the painting. The Art Institute description states that Wolff <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is depicted<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> pondering a book with an illustration of <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/b\/b0\/Michelangelo_-_Delphic_Sibyl.jpg\/800px-Michelangelo_-_Delphic_Sibyl.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Michelangelo\u2019s Delphic Sibyl from the Sistine Chapel<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. According to Grosvenor, the artist may have included another reference to Michelangelo in Wolff\u2019s posture. It is said to resemble the titular mythological character in Michelangelo\u2019s lost painting <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Leda &amp; the Swan<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. While the original painting <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is thought<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to have <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">been destroyed<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/arthive.com\/res\/media\/img\/ox800\/work\/f10\/284509.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">many prints and engravings exist<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, of which Lawrence owned a copy. The original myth tells that Leda slept with her husband and Zeus on the same night, with Zeus disguising himself as a swan. Grosvenor believes that the similarities in Leda and Isabella\u2019s posture hint at their alleged affair.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the background, there is a partial view of a sculpture resembling <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/78\/Arte_romana%2C_Gruppo_di_Niobe_e_della_figlia_minore%2C_1-200_circa_01.jpg\/640px-Arte_romana%2C_Gruppo_di_Niobe_e_della_figlia_minore%2C_1-200_circa_01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">typical depictions of the Greek mythological figure Niobe<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. In the story, Niobe brags <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that she<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is a better mother than the goddess Leto. In response, Leto sent her twin children, Apollo and Artemis, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/6\/6c\/Niobe_JacquesLouisDavid_1772_Dallas_Museum_of_Art.jpg\/1280px-Niobe_JacquesLouisDavid_1772_Dallas_Museum_of_Art.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to slay Niobe\u2019s children<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The portrayals of Niobe often show her with one of her children clinging to her skirt while she begs Zeus for his protection. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> may indicate not only the existence of an affair but Wolff\u2019s reason. Lawrence and Wolff\u2019s close friendship was well-known in British social circles, especially among artists. In a letter to his wife, John Constable once wrote about their friendship and how it may relate to Wolff\u2019s turbulent marriage: \u201cShe is quite an intimate of Sir Thomas Lawrence, who has often drawn her. Her husband, from whom she <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is parted<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, is the Danish consul &amp; in every sense of the word<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> a <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Wolfe.\u201d Shortly after Lawrence died in 1830, the <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Literary Gazette<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> commented how Isabella Wolff may have sought his company because of her husband\u2019s treatment of her. The references in the portrait may also reinforce another rumor: that Lawrence was the true father of Wolff\u2019s son Hermann. Some commentators remark that Lawrence was a significant figure in Hermann\u2019s life, being such a close friend of her mother. When King Charles X of France asked for Lawrence <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/b\/bb\/Charles_X%2C_King_of_France_-_Lawrence_1825.jpg\/800px-Charles_X%2C_King_of_France_-_Lawrence_1825.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to paint his portrait in 1825<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, Lawrence brought Hermann <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">with him<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Lawrence and Wolff died within a few months of each other, and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">nearly all their correspondence was destroyed<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. We may only have to guess and speculate as to the nature of their relationship. And while this sort of investigative work may not do much to advance art historical scholarship on Lawrence\u2019s work, it is important to keep these sorts of stories in mind. They show artists as living, breathing humans with complex emotions and complicated interpersonal relationships. Reminders of humanity like this keep scholarship grounded, in a way.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A British art historian claims that one of the great British artists of the early nineteenth century may have hinted at a scandalous love affair in one of his portraits. It&#8217;s easy for both academics and casual gallery visitors to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2024\/12\/portrait-hides-scandalous-secret\/?contemporary=N\">More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":55778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[150,103,523,9],"class_list":["post-55777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rehs-galleries","tag-19th-century-british-art","tag-20th-century-british-marine","tag-portrait","tag-rehs-galleries-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Painting Hides A Scandalous Secret: Sir Thomas Lawrence &amp; The Wolff Portrait - Rehs Galleries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sir Thomas Lawrence, one of the great artists of the early 19th century, may have hinted at a scandalous love affair in one of his portraits.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rehs.com\/eng\/2024\/12\/portrait-hides-scandalous-secret\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Painting Hides A Scandalous Secret: Sir Thomas Lawrence &amp; 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