New evidence may have revealed the true face of one of Britain's most beloved authors. Using digital photographic tools analysis has revealed writing on a long-disputed oil painting that its owners claim shows Jane Austen as a teenage girl. No other professional likeness of the writer exists.
The discovered words appear to include not only the novelist's name, but also that of the suspected artist.I'd seen an article about the painting of the teenage girl who might be Austen previously but before the new information came to light. I believe most lovers of Austen's books would want her to be more attractive than than the unfinished portrait by her sister, Cassandra, of the prim, spinsterly-looking woman, although I don't know why it matters. It's the set of the mouth and the arms folded firmly in front that put me off.
In the top-right corner of a reproduction of a photograph of the portrait taken before the painting was restored, the name Jane Austen is visible. Next to it is revealed in two places the name Ozias Humphry - an established portrait painter of the period. He was a member of the Royal Academy, and a friend of other better-known artists of the day, such as Gainsborough and Romney.
My expert consultant who sent me the link said:
It has been written about before, but new research makes it very probable that it is genuine (have you read the accompanying article?) and it has a history of descent in the family of one of Austen's brothers.Yes, Mr Expert Consultant, I had read the article. Reading Jane Austen's books for the first time as a teenager changed my life, and I've read her works over and over throughout the years. I'd really like an alternative look to that of the watercolor by Cassandra Austen, so I hope, in the end, that the experts who are studying the painting conclude that the subject is, indeed, my Jane. Not that it really matters... Read the entire article.
A "knowing" face, to be sure.
ReplyDeleteQuite penetrating.
ReplyDeleteFits what I thought she might look like over the years. I think I loved Emma the best, personally.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. Yes, that does seem to capture the Jane most of us know. Sent this to my daughter who is embarking upon Emma, her first encounter with Jane. Hope she enjoys both the portrait and knowing that Jane has impacted many of our lives.
ReplyDeleteThe teenager in the portrait is what I want JA to look like. The girl in the picture looks to be an acute and intelligent observer. The painting is very good, and if it is declared to be JA, the experts at the National Portrait Gallery will look a bit foolish.
ReplyDeletetalkandchatter, I like Pride and Prejudice best. I wanted to BE Elizabeth Bennet.
Klady, I hope your daughter enjoys Emma, which is my second favorite of the novels.
The high-cut "Regency bosom" of the dress seems in the past to have been taken as strong evidence against the attribution, but I just checked the date of Lawrence's famous, similarly-attired and, to my mind, overly-saccharine Pinkie, and this dates to 1794. Evidently the Regency bosom is sometimes pre-Regency.
ReplyDeleteLapin, how could I forget "Pinkie"? From my childhood, I remember an art book with reproductions of "Pinkie" and Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" on facing pages. Better question: How could the experts at the NPG forget it?
ReplyDeleteAnd I will now out you as Mr Expert Consultant.
To this very inexpert observer, the empire waist in that charming portrait seems a difficulty; but surely the British, with their love of history, unlike our throwaway society, must have a dozen or a hundred experts across the land who can settle the question definitively.
ReplyDeleteIt's very natural to wish that our favorite authors, who write such lovely stories, should have lovely faces as well; though of course, a brilliant mind can be as much at home behind a homely face as a beautiful one. I wonder if you have seen the alleged portrait found by Austen biographer Byrne, and what you think of it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/05/jane-austen-lost-portrait .
Russ, Lapin sent me the link to the picture you reference, which I believe can be more easily dismissed as not a true portrait from life of JA. The portrait was "discovered" not long before the publication of Byrne's biography, which makes me a little suspicious, even if 2 out of 3 of the experts "agreed the picture was Austen".
ReplyDeleteThat the portrait of the young girl has been in the family of JA's brother until now, along with the latest new discovery of photographic evidence, lends much credence to to the claim by the family that the painting is Austen.
Of course, I will always love the books no matter what.