Lot 22: Edward Francis Cunningham ( circa 1741-1793)

A reception given for the Duchess of Kingston, by Paul, son of Catherine the Great, the future Czar Paul I signed and dated 'F.C. Cunningham inv t. 1783.' (lower right, in the margin) pencil, pen and black and brown ink, heightened with touches of white, within the artist's black-lined border, watermark 183/4 x 27 3/8 in. (47.6 x 69.5 cm.) PROVENANCE Anon. sale; Christie's, London, 29 January 1954, lot 154 (unsold). NOTES The Duchess of Kingston led a colourful and scandalous life, negotiating many crises by her ability to charm and entertain, whilst her impatience and carelessness also precipitated fortune's worst turns. She was born Elizabeth Chudleigh, and married the Hon. Augustus John Hervey, grandson of the 1st Earl of Bristol in 1744, however, their marriage was not a success and the couple separated. Elizabeth became mistress to Evelyn Pierrepoint, 2nd Duke of Kingston, but in 1763 Hervey's wish to re-marry prompted him to apply for a divorce. Elizabeth refused to acknowledge that their marriage had taken place, and secured the court's approval of her case. In 1769 she married the Duke of Kingston, but his death in 1773 incured new drama, as his nephew contested the will. Elizabeth lost her case this time and left England for Calais, and in 1777 sailed to St Petersburg, where she obtained the favour of Catherine the Great, and consequently of her son. Cunningham depicts the Duchess being received by the court entourage. Cunningham was also an exile of sorts; his father, a Jacobite, had fled Scotland in 1745 and settled in Italy, and Edward's nickname 'Calze' alludes to his birthplace, being a derivative of 'Kelso'. He trained in Rome and Naples, and having once painted the king of Denmark whilst staying in Paris, won many subsequent commissions from European high society. Although successful, he was also extravagant, and in 1777 bankruptcy compelled him to leave England again, for St. Petersburg. He joined the Duchess of Kingston's train, and then entered the service of the Empress herself. Cunningham subsequently travelled to Berlin, but on his return to London, squandered his money and died destitute in 1795. The Duchess continued to frequent European capitals, drawing both Royalty and more unsavoury characters into her circle. The Dictionary of National Biography records that 'she died somewhat suddenly at Paris on 26 Aug. 1788'.