Artwork
Lady Algernon Percy
Lady Algernon Percy is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist James Millar. It dates from 1778 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1778, *Lady Algernon Percy* is an oil on canvas portrait by Birmingham‑based artist James Millar. The work presents a young woman standing in a garden, her white dress and gold shawl illuminated by soft light, set against a muted landscape of trees and distant hills.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, identified as Lady Algernon Percy, is depicted with a composed posture, one hand resting on a stone wall and the other holding a strip of fabric. Her neatly pulled‑back hair, feathered hat, and elegant attire convey the genteel status and refined sensibilities of an 18th‑century English aristocrat.
Technique & Style
Millar employs the rococo’s characteristic delicacy, using smooth, almost invisible brushstrokes to render the fabric and skin. Subtle glazing creates translucent layers that give the dress and shawl a luminous quality, while the contrast of light on her face against a darker background enhances the portrait’s calm, glowing atmosphere.
History & Provenance
James Millar rose to prominence as the leading portraitist of the Midlands in the late 1700s, frequently painting members of the Lunar Society and other figures linked to the Midlands Enlightenment. *Lady Algernon Percy* reflects his regional reputation and the fashionable portrait conventions of the period, though its later ownership record remains limited.
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Artist & collection
Artist
James Millar (c. 1735 – 5 December 1805) was an English portrait painter. Born in Birmingham, Millar is recorded in the town's Poor Law levy books in 1763 but was to become the leading Birmingham portrait painter of the…
