SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE (1769-1830)

Susannah Harley, Countess of Oxford (1790)

Oil on canvas (127 x 101)

Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

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Around 1790, Lawrence painted the endearing portrait of the elderly Countess of Oxford, Susannah Archer (1728-1804), who was the daughter of the very wealthy lawyer and Tory MP William Eyre (1677-1739). In addition to his family’s wealth, in 1706, Eyre inherited the estates of Sir John Archer at Coppersale, Essex and Welford Park, Berkshire, on the condition that he marry Archer’s niece, Eleanor Wrottesley, and assume the name Archer.

Susannah Archer married in 1751 Edward Harley, 4^th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1726-90). We do not know if she was pretty or not, but the fact that she brought a dowry of £ 50.000 (worth nearly £ 10.600.000 in 2025) must have prompted Edward Harley to look at her with loving eyes.

I could not find any relevant information about Susannah Archer. Her husband, the 4^th Earl of Oxford, was one of those non-entities that abounded in the incorrectly called British “aristocracy”. Since the meaning of the word is “rule of the best”, it implies a selection process where only the very best men who embody the virtues that distinguish an aristocrat: honourability, courage, public spirit and integrity, are chosen to form the ruling class. Unfortunately, many, if not most, of the so-called “aristocrats” (and not only in Britain) turned out to be dull characters devoid of those virtues that owed their importance, power and influence to their wealth and rank. Therefore, the proper name for such a ruling class is plutocracy (rule of the rich).

The old lady must have been a loveable, down-to-earth person, as her choice to be portrayed with her little pet suggests. There is simplicity and a natural ease about her that I found very endearing. No fancy dress, elaborate posture or grand airs, just a prosperous elderly lady with her favourite dog.

The main seat of the Harley family was Brampton Bryan Hall in Herefordshire. Although the titles of Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer became extinct in 1853, when the 5th Earl died childless, the house is still occupied by members of the Harley family. Lady Harley´s portrait can be seen in Fyvie Castle, Scotland, a property managed by the National Trust.