Adopted by David Pike
Watts was invited to stay at the Tuscan home of Lord and Lady Holland on a visit to Florence. While Lord Holland was busy serving as a British diplomat, Watts spent most days making portrait studies of his wife, Mary Augusta.
The way in which Mary Augusta is framed as she looks directly out at the viewer suggests she is looking in a mirror. The idea of a woman depicted at her toilette whilst attending to her appearance was a common feature in Renaissance art.
c.1844
Oil on canvas
68.5 x 56.0cm
COMWG.55
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