Bonhams 1793 : Attributed to John Linnell (British, 1792-1882) Sarah Sophia Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey (1785-1867), wearing a pale orange dress trimmed with blue, blue jewelled waistband, an orange shawl draped over her right shoulder, her brown hair curled and upswept beneath a bejewelled burnt orange and green Oriental turban threaded with strands of pearls, a Classical column visible behind her right shoulder

Sarah Sophia Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey (1785-1867), wearing a pale orange dress trimmed with blue, blue jewelled waistband, an orange shawl draped over her right shoulder, her brown hair curled and upswept beneath a bejewelled burnt orange and green Oriental turban threaded with strands of pearls, a Classical column visible behind her right shoulder.
Ormulu frame with rocaille and scroll leaf decoration and cartouches to the corners, labelled on the reverse with sitter's details.
Rectangular, 102mm (4in) high

Sold for £475 inc. premium

Footnotes

Sarah was the eldest daughter of John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland (1795-1841) and Sarah Anne Child (1764-1793), the only child of the proprietor of the eminent banking firm Child & Co and who eloped to Gretna Green with her future husband in 1782. Through her maternal grandfather, Sarah became the sole heiress to the Child fortune, becoming a senior partner in the bank in her own right.

On 23 May 1804, Sarah married George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey GCH, PC (17731859), a Conservative politician of notable aristocratic lineage. One of George's more infamous ancestors was Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland and 'favourite' of Charles II. Similarly, Sarah's mother-in-law, Lady Frances Jersey (1753-1821), became recognised as one of the more politically consummate mistresses of the Prince Regent and a chief proponent of the anti-Brunswick faction. Sarah's marriage saw the birth of seven children with her eldest son, George, making an illustrious match with Julia Peel, daughter of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850).

Sarah operated in the highest echelons of Regency society. As one of the all-powerful patronesses of Almack's Assembly Rooms, she had the means and inclination to orchestrate powerful matches and shatter reputations. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that Benjamin Disraeli should have chosen to immortalise Sarah in his romance, 'Endymion', through the tenacious character of Queen Zenobia.

Category: Regional and Estate Auctions / Miscellaneous

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