Emma
1785
George Romney was absolutely obsessed with his muse, Emma Hamilton, painting her over sixty times in various guises. In this charming portrait, she strikes a contemplative pose with her chin resting on her hand, wearing a dramatically oversized hat adorned with dark ribbons that frames her youthful face. The soft, dotted texture reveals this is likely a hand-colored stipple engraving, a popular method for mass-producing fashionable images in the late 18th century. While Emma would later become infamous as the lover of Admiral Lord Nelson, here she captures the innocent elegance of the Neoclassical era perfectly.
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