JOHN HOPPNER RA (1758-1810)

Lady Caroline Capel and her daughter Harriet

Oil on canvas (236 x 145 cm)

Plas Newydd, Isle of Anglesey

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Lady Caroline (1773-1847) had been married in 1792 to the Hon. John Capel (1769-1819), the first son of the 4^th Earl of Essex by his second wife. She is shown holding their sleeping first child, Harriet. Hoppner has depicted her in a palatial setting, complete with columns, balustrade and a large curtain with tassels, all typical elements of the aristocratic Baroque portraiture. When the picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1794, simply as Portrait of a Lady of Quality, the critic Anthony Pasquin, famous for his spiteful and sarcastic reviews, wrote:

This is a spirited likeness of Lady Caroline Capel; the drapery is fancifully displayed, the dog in the foreground is ill-drawn, the child incorrect and the whole assemblage seem frightened!

Hoppner was very sensitive to criticism, so he may well have yielded to a suggestion from the sitter or her family that the dog should be painted out. However, no sign of the dog or other changes have ever been noticed in the picture, but it has also never been subjected to bright light or scientific examination. If no trace of the dog or other alterations is to be found, the only conclusion would have to be that Hoppner painted again the portrait from scratch. The painting shows Hoppner’s consummate skill clearly. The composition is excellent as is the delicate colouring and the faultless draughtsmanship. Lady Capel’s pose is casual and yet elegant but there is a touch of sadness about her, the baby is beautifully depicted and the sketchy landscape in the background shows the influence of the Venetian school, probably via Reynolds. A shaft of light illuminates mother and child making them shine against the dark background.

Harriet Jane Capel (1793-1819) was to have a short, troubled life. In 1815 she fell in love with Jonkheer Ernst Trip, ADC to the Prince of Orange, but her love was not returned. Two tears later she married David Parry-Okeden, and eighteen months later she died in childbirth at the age of only 26.