Henrietta Howard (née Hobart), Countess of Suffolk

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed in pencil below the opening of the mount: Drawn by J. Harris jun^r, from the Original at Blickling Norf^k. and along the foot of the card in another hand: Henrietta, Duchess of Suffolk, 1681-1767.

This portraitback to top

The inscription may be comparatively modern. Mrs Foskett, who distinguishes John Harris senior (d. 1834) from his son (c.1792-1873) also John, gives NPG 2451 to the former, without stating reasons. [1] The son, known to Bénézit [2] only as an engraver, entered the RA schools 10 January 1812. NPG 2451 does not look like an engraver's drawing; it is much more in the manner of water colour reductions executed by G. P. Harding in the first decades of the century for collectors of historical portraits. The whole length still at the Hobart seat, Blickling, has been attributed to Dahl. The sitter is dressed in what is probably a masquerade costume of c.1715-25. The identity is traditional, the type being engraved only in 1824, but agrees reasonably well with the Jervas (see All Known Portraits).

Footnotesback to top

1) D. Foskett, British Miniaturists, 1972, I, p 311; cp Long, p 192.
2) E. Bénézit, Dictionnaire des peintures, sculpteurs ..., 1911.

Physical descriptionback to top

Blue eyes, light grey eyebrows, light brown hair, dressed with flowers, fair com­plexion; light grey dress with coral pink trimming, matching hat; light-brown interior panelled background, lit from right.

Conservationback to top

Good.

Provenanceback to top

Bought from Suckling and Co, Covent Garden, 1930; previous history unknown.

Reproductionsback to top

The Blickling portrait was engraved by E. Scriven, 1824 for Croker's edition of Lady Suffolk's correspondence.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Kerslake, Early Georgian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1977, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

View all known portraits for Henrietta Howard (née Hobart), Countess of Suffolk