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George, Prince of Wales

Attributedattributed to George Engleheart (British, 1752-1829)

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Dateca. 1790

Mediumwatercolor on ivory

Dimensions3 1/8 x 2 1/2 in. (7.9 x 6.4 cm.)

DescriptionPortrait miniature housed in locket bordered with diamonds and crown; on verso hair surround with central compartment containing cobalt glass oval and initials EHAIT

InscribedMonogram on verso: EHAIT

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

Not on view

Label TextThese two miniatures of George IV when Prince of Wales show different aspects of the prince's self-presentation. In elegant Van Dyck regalia in the Cosway miniature, George allies himself with royal images of his predecessor Charles I. In ordinary, fashionable dress in the miniature attributed to Engleheart, George cultivated the image of himself as a fashionable dandy. While the Cosway portrait was most likely painted from life for the prince himself, the Engleheart miniature is probably a copy of another portrait, executed for sale to the collecting public.

Object number26.23