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Paintings

Lavinia (Bingham), Countess Spencer, and John Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp, later Earl Spencer

1 of 2
Type
Paintings(Opens in new tab)
Date
ca.1783-84
Accession number
24.33
Maker
Joshua Reynolds(Opens in new tab) (British, 1723–1792)
Sitters
Lavinia (Bingham), Countess Spencer(Opens in new tab) (British, 1762–1831)
John Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp, later Earl Spencer(Opens in new tab) (British, 1782–1845)
Dimensions
58 x 43 1/4 in. (147.3 x 109.9 cm.)
Medium
oil on canvas
Description
She kneels to the left, on her right knee, profile right, embracing the boy with both arms. He stands full-length, full-face, behind her left knee, his left hand touching ('scratching') the crown of his head. The Countess' dark hair is powdered, with curls tied back, covering the ears and lying on the shoulders; her eyes are dark. She wears a wide, green-blue felt hat, a white muslin dress and fichu, and a black velvet belt. A rose petticoat glows through the transparent skirt; a black silk, lace-trimmed mantle falls over her right arm and encircles her. Her son wears a white muslin frock and vieux rose sash. He has fair hair and dark eyes. In the right foreground a black-and-white toy spaniel sits looking up to left. Background of trees, with glimpses of deep-blue sky; lighter sky and water low down in right middle distance.
Credit
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Department
European Art
Find out more
View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)
Countess Spencer commissioned this portrait to commemorate her new status as a mother following the birth of her first child. The painting captures a spontaneous act of maternal affection as she comforts her son, who has evidently taken a fall. The imagery reflects the growing idealization and prestige of maternity in late 18th-century England as upper-class women began to take a more active role in raising their children.

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