Thomas Lawrence paints Queen Charlotte (1789) in a gown of grey which the artist added lavender to so as not to wash her majesty out. Yay or Nay?
[The National Gallery]
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Yay or Nay? Queen Charlotte
Last week we viewed Princess Louise Auguste in her gualle gown and learned from an anonymous commenter that this painting underwent the same criticisms as when Marie Antoinette poised in her gualle gown. Very interesting! There weren't many criticisms over here for the gown though, and the princess earned a Yay. After my visit with Thomas Lawrence this week I can't help but offer one of his works and one of our repeat fashion icons/offenders. I'm curious as to your fashion opinions since the queen rejected this portrait.
Thomas Lawrence paints Queen Charlotte (1789) in a gown of grey which the artist added lavender to so as not to wash her majesty out. Yay or Nay?
Thomas Lawrence paints Queen Charlotte (1789) in a gown of grey which the artist added lavender to so as not to wash her majesty out. Yay or Nay?
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It's a yay for me
ReplyDeleteNay. She looks so pedestrian, like a poor maiden aunt.
ReplyDeleteI always loved a good black and white outfit. I'm not sure if the dress is also a very pretty pale blue, or there's black or gray undress with a thick, white gauzy material over it, but the colors of the outfit are very flattering to Charlotte. The black lace detail around the neck is lovely. I approve of the gauzy skirts as well. The 3/4 length sleeves are very elegant, and the whole style emphasizes the Queen's slenderness (I wonder if she really still had that figure six years after having her fifteen child--of course, my grandmother weighed 115 pounds until she hit 75, and she had ten kids) without making her look like she's about to snap in two. It appears simple from a distance, but when I zoomed in on the portrait, I realized that there's a lot of nice detail, making for a very elegant ensemble. The only part I'm not sure about is the part above the black lace around the neck. It looks a little like a bib to me. Of course, Charlotte's a forty-five yer old mother of fifteen (if you count her two dead sons) at this point, so I suppose she shouldn't be wearing something too low cut. The style of the dress is mature (perhaps even a bit matronly), but it seems very age-appropriate, and if anything, it makes the Queen looked younger. Plus, Charlotte looks as sweet and regal as ever in this picture. Definite yay for me.
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ReplyDeleteI personally love the whole look.I think it's appropriate for her age.I just wonder why she rejected it.Anyway it's a yay from me:)
ReplyDeleteNay. It looks more green than gray to me and heidenkind is right, she looks very unglamorous. Was that on purpose?
ReplyDeleteI see a demonic face in her bodice. Not kidding.
ReplyDeleteANd 'nay' in general because it looks a bit Miss Haversham to me.
The dress itself is gorgeous, but she looks monochromatic which is fine for a dress but not when it includes the person in it. There's no real distinction where the dress ends and she begins so...
ReplyDeleteNay!
She seems to blend into the wall. I'd reject it too, nay!
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit cold and austere, and she is lost in her surroundings. A meh.
ReplyDeleteMeh. Too dreary. I think if I had Lawrence at my beck and call, I too, would have rejected this and held out for something that made me look like more than someone's maiden aunt. Plus, it looks like she's wearing a watch which kind of threw me;-). So, Nay from me.
ReplyDeleteI think it's one of the nicer portraits I've seen of
ReplyDeleteQueen Charlotte. It's a Yay! for me.
I did a closeup as well, very nice looking lady, but good lord the frowsy hair needs a little product. Retro
ReplyDeleteLooking up close there are lots of elements i like about that, that froth of sheer and lace around the sleeves and neck and apparently some sort of overlay/shawl. The delicate trimming running down the layers of her skirt looks like it almost shimmers.
ReplyDeleteThe black lace throws it off a little, here is this random patch of black. Over all the dress has a clean structure with gauzy, floating trimmings that i find rather appealing. To see in life i would think would be very pleasant.
Yay
Well! Usually I adore Charlotte's paintings and styles, but I can certainly see why she rejected this one. Yes, she is older, so it makes sense that this particular portrait and style is not as flamboyant as that of her younger years, but it's just a little TOO matronly. The gray--lavendar included or not--does wash her out, and with the addition of the incredibly monochromatic surroundings the entire effect is simply drab; hardly the regal and lovely Queen she usually seems. And that's just the painting--her outfit itself gives me problems, too. While I love the skirts and the cut of the sleeves and stomacher, the fichu is about to drive me nuts. What is up with it?! The sloping shoulders it creates are COMPLETELY wrong for the time period and the Queen. Also, her wig either has a little too much powder around the edge or it's being held on with elastic. Definitely a Nay for this one.
ReplyDeleteLooks very matronly. Her dress just fades into the background.
ReplyDeleteEh. Nay. She looks boring. Her dress is boring. She doesn't look happy, and there's nothing to match the black lace on her outfit. Besides, I can't even tell what colour her dress is! Grey, lavender, blue???
ReplyDelete-Julia
Meh. Not a fan of the black lace with this dress. While beautifully painted, she looks very flat.
ReplyDeleteSo, a nay for me.
I like the dress, it gets a yay from me. However, I think it would look better in a greener setting than the dreary backdrop it's paired with.
ReplyDeleteI vote Yay. My personal preference is for understated and to me this is elegant simplicity. I think she carries it off well.
ReplyDeleteNay. That's just too dull, even for an elderly woman.
ReplyDeleteYay but barely. It's a lovely dress, but the fichu is frumpy, and she looks washed out and unhappy, which may, or may not have been the dresses fault!
ReplyDeleteAt first glance this does not seem the portrait of a regal lady, much less a queen. It looks more like proof that had to be submitted to a trustee, committee or board that someone's spinster aunt is still breathing & no one's offed her for her money yet! There is such a resounding dourness to it, she looks so drab, gets lost in the painting & seems smaller in her surroundings than she actually is. Simply because she is elderly is no reason to take the joy & life out of a portrait. Especially one of this era. It's like this poor woman's "light" has been extinguished.
ReplyDeleteInitially I thought nay - she looks matronly; however, on closer inspection the gown is lovely. Not sure what I think of the collar. It looks like it would be cozy in chilly weather to have the extra material around the chest and neck. So yay.
ReplyDeleteWell, I saw this painting today at the exhibit first hand and I must say, in person, it doesn' t look as melancholy as it may seem online. She is painted with a slight smile that shows, but I can see where far awau it may seem as if she is straight faced. And in person, the dress looks splendid. Its more white with a tint of blue then green or gray looking. It's actually very shiny too.
ReplyDeleteLawrence was known for his unique and splendid way of painting with the color white.
ooh a big fat nay from me xx
ReplyDeleteI think it's a yay for me. The reason the dress is so sombre is because of what is going on in the Queen's life at this moment in time. George III has lot his mind and her close friend Marie-Antoinette has been executed. The dress may not be the most beautiful one the Queen has ever worn but could anyone facing so much sadness wear a bright colour? Considering that the weight of the world is upon her shoulders I think she looks lovely.
ReplyDelete