George Knapton (1698–1778)
Portrait of Augusta Princess
of Wales, mother of George III, Seated, full length, in the grounds of Kew
Palace, 1758
Signed and dated, middle
right: G. Knapton 1758
Oil on canvas
181 x 141 cm
Provenance:
Probably commissioned by the sitter as a gift to her brother Frederick III,
Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1699-1772)
Possibly by descent to the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld who inherited the
Gotha dukedom on the direct lines extinction in 1825, and possibly then to
Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1816-1885) who became King Fernando
II of Portugal on his marriage to Maria II of Portugal
Possibly to Ferdinand’s morganatic 2nd wife, Elise Hensler, Countess of
Edla (1836-1929)
Collection of Charles Harbord Lisbon by 1970. Harbord moved to Lisbon from
England circa 1930.
Private collection Portugal
Exhibited:
Retratos
Ingleses em Portugal, April –May 1970, Instituto Britânico Lisbon, No 15
This is an historically
important painting in regards to the development of Kew Gardens as it is today.
Princess Augusta was an integral part of the planning and funding of the change
from being the Royal Palace Gardens into a public garden as well as a serious
botanic garden to be enjoyed by the many thousands of people over the last few
centuries. She is shown here seated in one of the many special alcove seats
designed by William Chambers, the Architect responsible for the many designs
throughout the gardens.
Kew Gardens, Princess Augusta & William Chambers
In 1752 Princess Augusta instructed her head gardener, John Dillman, to
"compleat all that part of the Garden at Kew that is not yet finished in
the manner proposed by the Plan and to keep all that is now finished".
With the very able help of the Earl of Bute, the development of Kew as a
serious botanic garden was well under way, driven by Bute's desire to have a
garden which would " … contain all the plants known on Earth".
Princess Augusta was, in effect, the founder of the botanic gardens at Kew.
Bute recommended William Chambers to Princess Augusta. Chambers was an
ambitious young architect who had previously submitted plans for a projected
mausoleum for her dead husband, and in 1757 Chambers was appointed tutor in
architecture to the future George III, who came to the throne in 1760.
With the arrival of Chambers, a new design phase began, similar in
intensity to Frederick's changes in the 1740s.Chambers' first acts in 1757 were
to move the House of Confucius; to build the Gallery of Antiques; to remove the
Chinese Arch; and to build the Palladian Bridge, reputedly in one night. Most
of the follies were not built to last, being made out of flimsy materials, and
the overnight building of follies is one of the legendary attributes of Kew
Gardens.
In 1758 Chambers built the Alhambra; the Temple of Arethusa and the Temple
of Pan. A number of garden alcoves designed by Chambers were also constructed
in 1758. These were probably the first seats of this type to appear in the
Gardens, and the basic design has been copied several times since. A possible
Chambers alcove can be found near to the current Lion Gate, and later examples
are located near the Isleworth Ferry Gate and the Brentford Gate.
1759 saw the construction of Johann Heinrich Muntz's Gothic Cathedral,
along with Chambers' Temple of Victory.It is generally held that the Physic and
Exotic Garden was begun in 1759, when "cultivating the Physic Garden"
first appears in household accounts, and this is taken as the date of formal
establishment of the Botanic Gardens.
The Ruined Arch, the Temples of Aeolus and Bellona, the Theatre of Augusta
and the Chinese Ting in the centre of the Menagerie were all constructed in
1760. Chambers also designed an aviary next to Princess Augusta's Menagerie, an
oval enclosure lined with cages for exotic pheasants and bigger birds, with a
large pond for goldfish and more delicate waterfowl.
1761 was a similarly productive year, with construction starting on the
Pagoda, and the building of the glasshouses of the Orangery and the Great
Stove, together with the Temple of the Sun and the Mosque.These decorative
buildings at Kew (the survivors are all Listed Buildings) represented all the
fervent interest and excitement of knowledge newly gained in a widening world.
China and the Islamic world were opening up, as evidenced by Chambers' delight
in Chinoiserie. There was a revival of classicism brought about by the Grand
Tour taken by 18th century gentry. This passion for the newly-discovered influenced
the influential in the design and development of the Gardens at Kew. (1)
1. Taken from Kew History and Heritage at www.kew.org
PREVIOUSLY ON AUCTION AT
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