Painted by world-famous artist John Singer Sargent, the Lady Agnew of Lochnaw also marks a name change for the landmark portrait to commemorate the subject of the artist, Gertrude Vernon.
Following its return, the portrait has been given a fuller name – Gertrude Vernon, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (1864 – 1932). By including her first name, this ‘fascinating sitter’ can finally be recognised as an individual in her own right, beyond her status as the wife of Baronet Andrew Noel Agnew of Lochnaw.
Dr. Patricia Allerston, Deputy Director & Chief Curator of European & Scottish Art, National Galleries of Scotland said: “This fascinating painting is a favourite for many visitors, and we are delighted to have it back on display at the National.
“Sargent’s compelling portrait presents Lady Agnew as a real person with a very distinctive personality. Our aim in adjusting the portrait’s title is to give visitors a bit more information about this intriguing sitter.”
Before its return to Edinburgh, the painting was on a major international tour as one of the star attractions of the Sargent and Fashion exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Tate Britain, London.
For both the artist and his sitter, the painting was an instant success, reviving Sargent’s reputation as the portrait painter of choice for the London elite and immediately transforming the newly elevated Gertrude Vernon into a society celebrity.
Sargent’s image of Gertrude Vernon helped her to become a leading light in fashionable circles, holding lavish salons in her London home.
Ironically, the high costs of this hospitality meant that she was eventually forced to sell some family pictures including this portrait which was purchased by National Galleries of Scotland, after Sargent’s death, in 1925.
The confident gaze and relaxed posture of Gertrude Vernon was unusual in contemporary portraiture.
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More conventional portraits of ‘respectable’ women had the sitters gazing downward, off to the side, or upon another person or object in the painting. To have a lady sit and stare at the viewer was unconventional, but it was enthusiastically received as bold and beautiful.
The work was completed in six sittings, and shows Vernon seated in a Louis XVI chair against the backdrop of a Chinese silk hanging, both of which were standard props in Sargent’s studio. She is reported to have been of frail health; she recovered slowly from a severe bout of influenza in 1890 and was apparently still suffering from exhaustion when she sat for Sargent.
Sargent was born in Florence, Italy in1856 and spent his childhood travelling across Europe with his wealthy American parents who restlessly followed the changing social seasons.
In 1874 he entered the Paris studio of the stylish French portraitist, Carolus-Duran.
The young Sargent combined the flamboyant style of his teacher with his study of old masters such as Rembrandt and Velázquez but was also influenced by Monet and Impressionism.
His provocative and unconventional Portrait of Madame X caused a scandal at the Paris Salon exhibition in 1884, and when Sargent settled in London in 1886, he initially found it difficult to find clients.
However, his technical mastery and confident manner were ideally suited for aristocratic patronage, and he soon won over his critics with his elegant, flattering portraits.
When his portrait of Gertrude Vernon was shown at the Royal Academy in 1893, one contemporary observed: ‘London is at his feet … he has had a cracking success.’
The much-loved painting is back on display and free to visit now at the National gallery in Edinburgh.