Frederic Leighton was one of the most feted and highly respected artists of his generation and became the first British artist ever to have been raised to the peerage.

He had two sisters, Alexandra, who was three years older than he; and Augusta, who was five years younger. The Leightons were a very close family, devoted to each other, and when Leighton died Alexandra tirelessly campaigned for his house to be preserved as a memorial. This particular portrait shows her in severe dress after the death of her father in 1892.

Provenance

By descent from the sitter to the present owner; Christie's, Victorian Pictures, Friday 7 June 1996 (unsold)


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