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Charles Jervas (1675-1739)
PORTRAIT OF LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU (1689-1762)
oil on canvas
37_ x 37_in. (95.89 x 95.89cm)
Provenance: Sotheby’s, 13 November 1996, lot 54;Private collection
The present sitter was the subject of two works by Jervas. Another example, dated c. 1718-1720 can be found in the
collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (NGI.4341). Jervas was an Irish born artist and successful portrait
painter who succeeded his master, Sir Godfrey Kneller, as Principal Painter to King George I; a position he retained under
King George II. Lady Mary Pierrepont (1689-1762) married rising Whig politician Edward Wortley Montagu (1678-1761)
and became an important figure in London society. Her time in Constantinople, where her husband served as British
Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, is recorded in her celebrated letters documenting her travels and observations on
Ottoman life and later published under the title Turkish Embassy Letters. The portrait of Lady Mary in the NGI shows her
in opulent Turkish attire with a winter head-dress (talpock).
€5,000-€7,000 (£3680-£5150 approx. approx.)
Large Image & Place Bid Lot 25IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART · 28 SEPTEMBER 2015