CONTINENTAL SCHOOL, CIRCA 1830-40

Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more

Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCB, PC, (1778-1854) Charles Stewart (later Vane) was born in Dublin, he was the second son of Robert Stewart (later 1st Marquess of Londonderry), who lived at Mount Stewart, an idyllically set mansion on the shores of Strangford Lough. He was half-brother to his father’s heir, also Robert Stewart, better known by his later courtesy title, Viscount Castlereagh (1769-1822). Joining the army as a commissioned officer at the age of 16 in 1794, the young Stewart would go on to have a distinguished military career, culminating in his service during the Peninsular War as adjutant-general under Sir Arthur Wellesley (later 1st Duke of Wellington) (1769-1852). Wellington mentioned him in dispatches, and he received a vote of thanks from the House of Commons following the battle of Talvera, and he was subsequently awarded the Peninsular Medal. He was generally much praised for his bravery, if not always for his judgment, and it was whilst fighting on the peninsular that he became known as ‘Fighting Charlie’. In 1812 Stewart sat for Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) for his brilliantly observed portrait of Stewart in Hussar uniform, which is considered one of the artist’s greatest works, and betrays the swagger and pretension for which the sitter was so well known. In 1813 he embarked on a diplomatic career when Castlereagh, by now Foreign Secretary, deployed him on various missions. This culminated in his appointment as British ambassador to the court of Francis I, Emperor of Austria, in 1815, where he would assist both Castlereagh and Wellington during the Congress of Vienna. It was during his embassy that he met and married his second wife, the nineteen year old Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest (1800-1865) (see lot 472). She was generally regarded as the greatest heiress for a generation and it was upon their marriage in 1819 that Stewart changed his name to Vane. It was through their union that the bride’s ancestral home Wynyard Park, County Durham, along with extensive estates and lucrative mining interests, came into the Londonderry family. The young bride brought with her an enormous income of some £60,000 per annum, which would finance the assembly of a great collection of works of art, much of which was purchased in Europe. It is from this collection assembled by the 3rd Marquess during the first half of the 19th century that many of the items included in this sale come. He also used the income to finance the rebuilding of Wynyard Park on a monumental scale, as well as to purchase and remodel their palatial London home, Holdernesse House (later Londonderry House). Having been elevated to the rank of Baron in his own right in 1814, he subsequently inherited the Marquessate of Londonderry on the death of Castlereagh in 1822. This unhappy event prompted him to return to England where he embarked upon the development of his wife’s mining interests. Most notable was the acquisition of the Seaham estate, where he realised ambitious plans to create a new harbour, hewn from the cliff face, as well as the building of a railway to serve the new port. His achievements there are recorded in a series of four rare paintings illustrating the industrial development of the town, lots 534-537 Lord Londonderry died in 1854 having established the Londonderry dynasty as one of the wealthiest and most influential in Britain, a position they would maintain for a century.

Details

CONTINENTAL SCHOOL, CIRCA 1830-40
Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778-1854), in scarlet military uniform and gold epaulettes, wearing breast Stars, crosses and a yellow sash
on ivory
oval, 1¼ in. (30 mm.) high, in gilt-metal frame with paste surround

Provenance

Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry or his wife Frances Anne , Marchioness of Londonderry (1800-65) and by descent.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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