Lady Elizabeth Isabella Manners as a Child (1778 - 1853)

Around 1779-1782, Matthew William Peters painted a number of family portraits for the 4th Duke of Rutland, of which this is most probably one. It shows Elizabeth Isabella (1778-1853), the eldest child of the Duke. The warm palette Peters used in this portrait is reminiscent of the Italian painters he admired.

The portrait emphasises Elizabeth's girlish charms. The position of her head and hands appeals to the sensibilities of the viewer. Her raised hand is evocative of the pose of heroic classical statues, but its grandeur is undercut by the fact this it is adpoted by a young girl. In the 18th century, portrait painters such as Hogarth, Gainsborough and Reynolds began to capture qualities of childhood that had become newly recognised such as innocence and weakness. Elizabeth's oversized cap and ribbon emphasises her infant frame, whilst her open smiling mouth encourages the viewer to take a caring approach to her. The autumn leaves and fruit suggest she is the treasured bounty of her parents' affection. The type of playful behaviour captured by Peters was associated with childhood innocence during the 18th century.

In 1780, Reynolds painted the same sitter with her brother. Elizabeth looks about a year older in Reynolds's painting. Elizabeth married Richard Norman in 1798. By 1910, just before Alice de Rothschild bought it, the painting passed by descent to John F C Norman, who must have been a distant relation of Lady Elizabeth.

The Duke of Rutland was a consistent patron of the Peters. He probably bought two works of St John and 'Country Girl' exhibited at the Academy of 1777. In 1783-4, Peters went to Paris to copy a Le Brun painting for the Duke. Peters was brought up in Dublin. He trained with Thomas Hudson and travelled in Italy where he admired the colours used by Correggio and Venetian painters. He is known for his 'fancy pictures', portraits, engraving and pictures of coquettish young women some which were considered slightly risqué. He became an associate of the Royal Academy in 1771, and a full member in 1778 with a diploma piece showing two children, but he resigned in 1790. Around the time this portrait was painted, he decided to become a clergyman. In 1782, he exhibited at the Royal Academy under the name of Reverend William Peters with a painting showing an angel carrying the spirit of a child to Paradise. He later became Chaplain to the Prince Regent. His subjects became more decorous late in life.

Phillippa Plock, 2011