Duchess of Cannizzaro
(1785-1841), Society hostessRegency Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 1 portrait
Society hostess who inherited a fortune from her father, George Johnstone, Director of the East India Company. She married the impoverished Italian aristocrat Francis, Duke of Cannizzaro in 1814. The marriage gave him an income and her a title but there was little love between them. He returned to Italy with his mistress and Sophia took up a 'fiddler from a second-rate theatre in Milan'. Landseer's drawing corresponds with the diarist Charles Greville's description of her as 'very short and fat with rather a handsome face, totally uneducated but full of humour'.
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.