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Emma, Lady Hamilton as Ariadne by Richard Westall R.A.
Mezzotint by W. T. Annis. Credit: British Museum
This oil on canvas shows Lady Hamilton half-length on a couch, turning to gaze over her left shoulder and looking up, wearing a loose gown in the classical style, which partially reveals her breast; with dawn breaking over the horizon and rocks with foliage in the background. In an ornate gilt frame. English, circa 1802. Published: Mezzotint engraved by W.T. Annis (active 1798-1812) Exhibited: Probably Royal Academy, 1805 as ‘Richard Westall… 190. Ariadne’ This newly re-discovered representation of Emma Hamilton as Ariadne completes a quartet of known portraits by Richard Westall of Nelson’s mistress posing as subjects taken from mythology and Classical history. The companion portraits show Emma as Sappho (National Museums of Liverpool), Saint Cecilia (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich) and as a bacchante (Private
Collection). They were all likely to have been completed following Emma’s return to England in company with Nelson in 1800 and before the death of her husband Sir William Hamilton in 1803. A notable art collector who had previously encouraged and actively promoted portraits of his beautiful younger wife, Hamilton would have tolerated and welcomed images of Emma which, despite their classical staging, were highly sexualised with Emma displaying a naked breast in two of the four portraits. This daring feature by such a celebrated and scandalous sitter would have titillated the contemporary viewer and was a detail denied to the other many other well-known artists who portrayed Emma, notably George Romney. At the time of the sittings, Sir William was aware of the sexual relationship between his wife and his friend Nelson and so the otherwise reticent ambassador may have allowed his wife to be portrayed in a manner more familiar to a courtesan.
