Tuesday, 15 November 2016

Margaret Cavendish Bentinck nee Harley Marble Bust by Michael Rysbrack and an Anoymous Bust at Powis Castle

Margaret Cavendish Bentinck nee Harley (1715 - 85).

Marble Bust.

Michael Rysbrack.

1727.

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Both of these poor quality low resolution images above from the Bridgman Image Library.

Carefully edited so that the inscriptions are illegible

Available in higher resolution a mere snip at £50 + vat each.

http://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-GB/search?filter_text=3248460+or+3248461+or+3248465&filter_group=all&filter_region=GBR

Margaret Cavendish Bentinck nee Harley

Duchess of Portland

Engraving by George Vertue

217 x 170 mm.

dated 1727.

An Engraved portrait of Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1715-85), collector of art and natural history specimens and patron of the arts and sciences, after a bust sculpted by Rysbrack.

This engraving originally published as a plate to the poet Elijah Fenton's edition of Waller's 'Works' of 1729. Portland spent fifty years assembling an immense collection of natural history and the fine arts at her home at Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire, which became the largest in Britain, exceeding even that of Hans Sloane. The most famous item in her collection was the so-called Portland vase which she purchased from Sir William Hamilton (now in the British Museum). After the duchess' death, her collection was auctioneed in a sale lasting thirty-eight days.