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Source Description
This pastel portrait of George Clavering Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper (1738–1789), was made in Florence, the earl’s permanent home, by the most celebrated Irish portraitist of the Grand Tour. Cowper prominently wears the sash and star of the Order of St. Hubertus, a knightly order of aristocratic hunters to which he was inducted in March 1785. It seems likely that the bucolic scene was commissioned to commemorate the honor. Cowper’s hunting dog receives a tender pat on the head and wears a bold shining metal collar inscribed with Cowper’s name.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
523238
label
George Clavering Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
523238
contentType
drawing
title
George Clavering Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper
description
This pastel portrait of George Clavering Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper (1738–1789), was made in Florence, the earl’s permanent home, by the most celebrated Irish portraitist of the Grand Tour. Cowper prominently wears the sash and star of the Order of St. Hubertus, a knightly order of aristocratic hunters to which he was inducted in March 1785. It seems likely that the bucolic scene was commissioned to commemorate the honor. Cowper’s hunting dog receives a tender pat on the head and wears a bold shining metal collar inscribed with Cowper’s name.
date
1785
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q117247703
creators
523232
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 94 x 68.6 cm (37 x 27 in.)
cul
Ireland, 18th century
accession
2022.136
Source extras
tec
pastel on paper stretched on linen
tombstone
George Clavering Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper, 1785. Hugh Douglas Hamilton (Irish, 1729–1808). Pastel on paper stretched on linen; sheet: 94 x 68.6 cm (37 x 27 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2022.136
collection
DR - Misc. Countries
didYouKnow
Pastel portraiture, which became fashionable in the 18th century, was prized for its powdery, matte surface, which created a fresco-like quality when placed in small rooms lit by candlelight.
citations
citation
Williamson, George C. Daniel Gardner, Painter in Pastel and Gouache; A Brief Account of His Life and Works. London: John Lane, 1921.
page_number
p. 94 (reproduced)
citation
Jeffares, Neil. Dictionary of pastellists before 1800. London: Unicorn Press, 2006.
page_number
cat. No. J.375.1225
citation
Sheail, Philip, ed. “The Third Earl Cowper and his Florentine Household 1760-90,” <em>Hertfordshire Record Society, </em>vol. 36, 2020.
page_number
p. 48 (reproduced)
citation
Humfrey, Peter. "The Picture Collection of the Earls Cowper at Panshanger." <em>Artibus et Historiae: An Art Anthology</em> 88, v. 44 (2023): 209-271.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 220, 222; Reproduced: p. 220, fig. 12
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:09:08.195000
sourceId
523238
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - Misc. Countries
med
pastel on paper stretched on linen
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e7bd5b2e71fb4212