MASP

From a very early stage, Lawrence stood out for the quality of his paintings. Prestigious commissions, such as the portrait of the Duke of York (1763-1827) or that of Queen Charlotte of England (1766-1828), would later confirm his reputation as an artist. After the decease of Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), one of the most esteemed painters of his generation, Lawrence replaced him as the official painter of the royal court. In 1815, George IV (1865-1936), then king of the United Kingdom, bestowed him a noble title, and the painter went on travelling around Europe to portray the heads of State and allied military leaders. Right after, he became the president of the British Royal Academy, the most important art institution of the United Kingdom. Yet Lawrence’s portraits are placed in the continuity of those by Gainsborough (1727-1788) and Reynolds, he distinguishes himself of this generation by the bright texture of his painting and a more sensuous treatment of color, recalling the works of Rubens (1577-1640) or Van Dijk (1599-1641), who were important references for the British painter. Three children pose in what seems to be the stage of a theater, framed by a red curtain that opens itself to a natural landscape. While the two younger children face the spectator directly, the oldest daughter has one hand unpretentiously resting over a pointer.

— MASP Curatorial Team, 2017

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The painting depicts the children of Sir Samuel Fludyer, 2nd baronet: Samuel (1800-1876), subsequently 3rd baronet; Maria, subsequently Mrs. Brownlow Charles Warren (1803-1884), and Caroline Louisa, subsequently Mrs. Cobbett Derby (1798-1888). Camesasca points to the theatrical nature of the composition, remarking also on its cenographic ambiguity and the resulting tension which, at any rate, is softened by its utter mundaneness. The impressive dog in the arms of Maria is, as also stressed by the Italian historian, worthy of Rubens and Van Dyck. This triple portrait is not from 1800-1805, as suggested by Camesasca (1987, p. 152), but more precisely from the following year, because in his “Diary,” a key record of British painting and of the life of the Royal Academy after 1792, Joseph Farington records its execution on September 13, 1806 (Garlick 1989, n. 303).

— Unknown authorship, 1998

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