Framed oil painting: Louisa Skrine, Lady Clarges (1760–1809) by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), oil on canvas 1778. On long-term loan from the Victoria Art Gallery, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Key information

Museum number

L1988.1

Object

Framed oil painting: Louisa Skrine, Lady Clarges (1760–1809) by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), oil on canvas 1778. On long-term loan from the Victoria Art Gallery, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Gallery label

Louisa Skrine, Lady Clarges (1760–1809)
Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788)
Oil on canvas, 1778

By the time Gainsborough left Bath for London three years before this portrait, his style had become looser and more expressive and his portraits less formal. This change is evident here in the freely painted satin gown and powdered hair of Lady Clarges and the blurring of her harp-playing fingers.

Eighteen-year-old Louisa Skrine’s portrait was painted for Sir Thomas Clarges the year after their marriage. Brought up at Warleigh Manor near Bath, Louisa became an important patron of musicians.

L1988.1
On long-term loan from the Victoria Art Gallery, Bath & North East Somerset Council

On display?

Yes
image l1988-1 gainsborough-clarges

Contact Us

The Holburne Museum Great Pulteney Street Bath BA2 4DB

Opening Hours

We are open daily 10am to 5pm (Sunday and Bank Holiday 11am to 5pm)
Powered by MuseumIndex+ CollectionsOnline