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Notes

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'The Happy Mother' reflects the early nineteenth-century concern with motherhood, influenced by the novels of Rousseau and by the philosophy of the Enlightenment (cf. Morland P574 and Reynolds P32). It is an evocative depiction of the joys of breast-feeding and was twinned with a pendant of 'The Unfortunate Mother' shown mourning at the tomb of her dead child. The present sketch was purchased by the 4th Marquess of Hertford at the sale of the miniaturist, Daniel Saint (1778–1847), one of the first collectors of Rococo art at the beginning of the nineteenth century, who also shared Lord Hertford’s penchant for the sentimental productions of Prud’hon.

The Wallace Collection

London

Title

The Happy Mother

Date

c.1810

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 23.7 x W 17 cm

Accession number

P313

Acquisition method

acquired by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford, 1846; bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, 1897

Work type

Painting

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The Wallace Collection

Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, Greater London W1U 3BN England

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