Portrait of a lady, traditionally identified as Emma Hamilton, bust-length, in classical dress and veil, with a garland of roses

Set against a rich turquoise background, this delicate portrait is highly unusual in George Romney’s oeuvre. Slightly smaller than one would expect for a society portrait, and yet much more highly finished than any of the artist’s fancy pictures, it seems to belong in a category all its own.

As the great expert on the artist Alex Kidson explains, it is conceivable that it began life as a standard portrait and that Romney chose to convert it into a Grecian study, by adding the chiton (toga), the diaphanous veil and the garland, the latter being exceptionally rare in Romney’s paintings (see A. Kidson, op. cit. supra, p. 734). These elements suggest that the subject may be a bride or a sacrificial subject. Indeed, in the past it has been suggested that this might be a painting of Emma Hamilton, who is known to have portrayed Iphigenia in her famous Attitudes. However, the physiognomy of the sitter does not match that of Emma, but remains a unique and charming enigma.