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Richard Cosway

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

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Richard Cosway was the leading portrait miniaturist of the Regency era. His success was lay in an ability to enhance the beauty and elegance of all of his sitters. He painted his first portrait of George IV in 1780 and was appointed Painter to the Prince of Wales in 1785. Cosway enjoyed continuous patronage from the Prince. As these miniatures were often exhibited and engraved, Cosway had considerable influence over the official image of the Prince. Cosway exhibited his first miniatures in London in 1762 and was quickly in demand in fashionable circles. He married the Anglo-Italian artist Maria Hadfield in 1781 and together they much influenced London's fashionable elite and the art world.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

Richard Cosway

Medium

oil on mahogany panel

Measurements

H 15.6 x W 13.3 cm

Accession number

1678

Acquisition method

Given by Heber Mardon, 1912

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

National Portrait Gallery, London

St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England

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