Alicia Maria, Countess of Egremont

Penelope Carwardine turned to the art of miniature painting as a means of earning a living after her extravagant father ruined the family finances. While painting and drawing were considered an important part of a genteel education for young women, it is unclear where Carwardine learned the challenging technique of painting in watercolour on ivory. By 1754 she was proficient enough to work professionally, which she did until her marriage in 1772. As the social customs of the day dictated, she gave up her business on her marriage.

Carwardine belongs to the so-called ‘Modest School’ of miniaturists, who were active in the early-to-mid 18th century. This posthumously given name is derived from the relatively modest scale and scope of their work. This miniature, painted in 1757, is typical of Carwardine and demonstrates her rather solid, formal style of painting, derived from the manner of her predecessor Bernard Lens. The use of more translucent colours for the flesh tones, which allow the ivory support to glow through the paint, reflects developments in miniature painting in this period that would ultimately lead to a blossoming of the art form in the later 18th century.

Alicia Maria Carpenter was the wife of politician and diplomat Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, heir to the great house at Petworth in Sussex. In 1761 the Countess became the first Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. Her hair, combed back, pinned flat and accessorised with flowers, is typical of mid-18th century fashions. Unusually, she wears a prominent crucifix on a black ribbon around her throat.