Porträt der Porträt Augustas von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg (1719-1772)

Jean-Baptiste van Loo's 1742 portrait of Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was painted in London at a time of enormous dynastic significance: Augusta had arrived in Britain in 1736 to marry Frederick, Prince of Wales, and by 1742 she was the mother of the future George III. This portrait in oil paint captures her during a period of political tension: the Prince of Wales's household was in open opposition to George II, and portraits of Augusta served to project an alternative image of the future court — younger, more dynamic, culturally sophisticated. Van Loo's involvement in portraits of both the reigning family and the oppositional Leicester House circle demonstrates his extraordinary ability to maintain professional relationships across political fault lines. The portrait is an important document in the visual history of the Hanoverian dynasty and of the contested cultural politics of the 1740s British court.

Van Loo brings his mature portrait technique to this commission: confident three-quarter pose, careful attention to the luxurious fabrics of royal dress, and a face rendered with the combination of dignity and accessibility that made his English court portraits so successful. The oil paint medium allows for the rich surface quality and tonal depth characteristic of his best work.