"Frederick Augustus Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry" by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

Frederick Augustus Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry (1790)
Copyright held by the National Trust, Ickworth House
Thanks to Charles Stein and Kevin J. Kelly for providing this scan

This image is fascinating for the contrast between the calm, smiling powerful English lord and the smoking volcano in the background. The heavy column, balustrade, and ornate cut-velvet-covered chair suggest money, power, and permanence--yet the smoking landscape seems to mock this. The then Marquis, not Earl, poses for Le Brun in religious garb, conservative and black to indicate his religious calling. The very conservative cut of his clothing is accentuated when we compare it with the elaborate striped coats so common at this time. (See the Real Regency Clothing Page for images of such coats c. 1790). According to the National Trust, Hervey was "eccentric." His art collections (some items bought during the year he posed for this portrait in Italy) can still be seen at the home he built, Ickworth House. See the Men's Page for period fashion plates of men's fashions.