Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough

This portrait of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, depicts one of the most powerful women in early eighteenth-century England. Sarah's intimate friendship with Queen Anne gave her extraordinary political influence, which she exercised on behalf of the Whig party and her husband the Duke of Marlborough's military campaigns. Kneller's portrait captures this remarkable woman at the height of her power, before her eventual fall from Anne's favor around 1710 precipitated the end of the Marlborough ministry. Sarah's political influence, her willingness to fight publicly for her interests, and her management of the Marlborough fortune made her one of the most formidable figures of the early Georgian period.

Kneller presents the formidable Duchess with the combination of beauty and imperious confidence for which she was famous, the portrait capturing both her aristocratic elegance and the force of personality that made her feared at court.