Footnotes

• Mary Anne was married before the age of 18, to a man named Clarke, who worked as a stonemason. However, in a very short time after the marriage, her husband went bankrupt, and Mary left. By 1803, after several liaisons with prominent men, Clarke established herself in the world of courtesans enough to receive the attention of Frederick, Duke of York. Taking her as his lover, he set her up in a fashionable residence, but failed to maintain her financially in the manner to which she believed she was due. In 1809, a national scandal arose when it was discovered that she had been selling army commissions. Frederick was forced to resign from his position, though he was later exonerated and reinstated. He did however cut all ties to Clarke, paying her a considerable sum to prevent her publishing letters he had written to her during their relationship. Mrs Clarke was prosecuted for libel in 1813 and imprisoned for nine months. On her release from prison, Clarke went to live in France, where she died at Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1852.
  
  The present lot bears a strong resemblance to the portrait of Mary Anne Clarke, by Adam Buck, painted in 1803.

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Category: Fine Art / Portrait Miniatures

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