Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin (1777 - 1855)

François Gérard's portrait of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin of 1804 depicts the Scottish heiress who financed her husband Lord Elgin's removal of the Parthenon sculptures to Britain — a mission that provoked immediate controversy. The countess's wealth funded the Elgin Marbles' transportation to London, and their acquisition by the British Museum was subsidized by her fortune. Gérard painted her during a Parisian visit with the flattering precision appropriate to a wealthy British noblewoman, capturing the confident bearing of a woman whose husband's controversial collecting project had made them both famous throughout Europe.

Gérard captures the Countess with the Neoclassical refinement that made him the portraitist of choice for European high society during the Napoleonic era. The cool, elegant palette and smooth handling create an image of aristocratic beauty that hints at nothing of the dramatic personal upheaval to come.