George, Prince of Wales

These two miniatures of George IV when Prince of Wales show different aspects of the prince's self-presentation. In elegant Van Dyck regalia in the Cosway miniature, George allies himself with royal images of his predecessor Charles I. In ordinary, fashionable dress in the miniature attributed to Engleheart, George cultivated the image of himself as a fashionable dandy. While the Cosway portrait was most likely painted from life for the prince himself, the Engleheart miniature is probably a copy of another portrait, executed for sale to the collecting public.