Painted in watercolour on ivory this miniature was considered by William 6th Duke of Devonshire as one of best likenesses of his mother Georgiana.
The miniature was commissioned in 1789 for £36 however, the bill remained unpaid and the Duke didn’t acquire the miniature until 1820.
Devon-born Richard Cosway was a highly respected and sought after portraitist, many of his sitters included the aristocrats and celebrities of the time. Duchess Georgiana also sat for Maria Cosway, wife of Richard for a large-scale portrait in which Georgiana is shown as a goddess flying through a night sky.
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