Charles Stewart, Sixth Marquess Of Londonderry, Carrying The Great Sword Of State At The Coronation … 

John Singer Sargent painted Charles Stewart, Sixth Marquess Of Londonderry, with oil on canvas in the late 1930's. The painting evokes a sense of grandeur, with the Marquess dominating the composition through his height, central placement, and the imposing Great Sword of State. Sargent uses a formal approach to portraiture. The Marquess's figure is structured by the verticality of the sword, balanced by the contrasting textures of his robes and the soft rendering of the background. Notice how the brushwork varies – precise and detailed in the Marquess's face and attire, but looser and more suggestive in the architectural setting, creating a hierarchy of importance. The semiotic weight of the sword is undeniable, acting as a signifier of power and authority, while the richly colored robes denote status and tradition. Yet, there is a certain ambiguity: the formality verges on theatrical, suggesting a performance of power rather than inherent strength. This tension between surface and depth, representation and reality, invites us to question the very nature of portraiture and its relationship to power.