Portrait of the Hon. Violet Lane Fox, Baroness Darcy de Knayth, Countess of Powis

John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925)

Powis Castle and Garden

1912

Sargent depicts Lady Powis as a great lady, her hair piled up in the fashionable bouffant style of the time. As the wife of the 4th Earl of Powis, Violet persuaded her husband to entrust the entire management of the deteriorating gardens at Powis Castle to her in 1911. Over the next 18 years, she effectively recreated the gardens of Powis into the internationally renowned form that they have today. This drawing, made around the very time that she took over the management of the gardens, shows her in her maturity, and conveys her assurance as chatelaine and garden designer.

• Medium: charcoal on paper
• Dimensions: 60 x 47.5cm
• Art Fund Grant: £25000 ( Total: £50,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2010
• Vendor: Private collection

Provenance

Private collection by descent. Purchased through Antony Mould Contemporary.

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