Lady Maria Conyngham (died 1843) 1824 - 1825

Thomas Lawrence painted this portrait of Lady Maria Conyngham with oils on canvas. Lawrence, like many of his contemporaries, approached the canvas with a bravura technique, building up layers of translucent glazes. These layers reflect light, giving the painting an ethereal quality. The very smooth surface is a testament to the labor and skill involved, as each layer had to be applied and blended meticulously. The way Lawrence has depicted Lady Maria – poised, relaxed, and elegant – speaks volumes about the social context of portraiture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Paintings like this offered entry into a world of refinement and gentility, a world accessible only to a few. Considering the relationship between art and labor, the smooth surface almost obscures the work involved in its making. Yet, if we understand the technical skill required, we can start to see it as an artifact of production, a reflection of both the artist's talent and the social forces that gave rise to it.