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Louis-Gustave Ricard, 'The Countess of Desart as a Child', probably 1870-1

About the work

Overview

Louis-Gustave Ricard (1823–1873) worked primarily as a portraitist. He moved to England during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, when he probably painted this portrait of a young Ellen Odette (1857–1933), the eldest daughter of Henri Louis Bischoffsheim, a wealthy Jewish banker. Ellen would have been 13 or 14 years old at the time.

Ricard has used soft tones and muted lighting. The dark neutral background and Ellen’s own hair highlight her pale face. Although the portrait shows the influence of Dutch painting, Ellen’s open expression – now rather obscured by varnish – also reveals Ricard’s awareness of eighteenth-century British portraiture, particularly portraits of children by Reynolds and Romney.

In 1881 Ellen married William Cuffe, 4th Earl of Desart. Following William’s death in 1898, Ellen, as Countess of Desart, became a significant figure in the Gaelic revival and pursued her own political career in the Irish Free State, which existed from 1922 to 1937.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Countess of Desart as a Child
Artist dates
1823 - 1873
Date made
probably 1870-1
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
54.6 × 45.7 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Presented by the sitter's sister, Lady Fitzgerald, to the Tate Gallery, 1944; transferred, 1956
Inventory number
NG5573
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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