Some of Anna Trevingard’s pictures were engraved. Miss Drax and Miss Martin engraved from Tomkins and Der Petit; Miss Morland and Catharine Mary Fanshawe drew and engraved twenty pictures of historical scenes. The zealous and industrious Mary Spilsbury’s studies from country life, and particularly those in which she represented her rural scenes and sports of children, have been reproduced in engravings.
It is certainly surprising that engraving and flower-painting did not boast at this time a greater number of distinguished followers.
It now becomes our task to linger a moment over the history of a paintress whose genius and attainments won for her an enviable reputation, and whose life experience illustrates the condition and circumstances of art amid the higher classes of English society.
MARIA COSWAY.
Maria Hadfield was the daughter of an Englishman who became rich by keeping a hotel in Leghorn. It is said he lost four children in infancy, and detected a maid-servant in the avowal that she sent them to heaven out of love, and meant that the fifth, Maria, should follow the rest. The woman was imprisoned for life, and the child was sent to a convent to be educated. There she received lessons in music and drawing, in common with other branches. Returning home, she devoted herself to painting, and the acquaintance she afterward formed at Rome with Battomi, Mengs, Maron, and Fuseli, with her contemplation of the works of art in churches and palaces, contributed to the farther development of her talents.
At her father’s death she formed the resolution of entering a cloister, but her mother persuaded her to accompany her first to London. There the young girl became acquainted with the interesting and popular Angelica Kauffman, who easily prevailed on her to relinquish all idea of taking the veil.
The change of resolution was followed not long afterward by Maria’s marriage with Richard Cosway, a portrait and miniature painter, who occupied a high position, and whose soft, pliant, and idealized style was well adapted to please rich patrons whose vanity desired the most favorable representation. In his carefully-finished miniatures the most ordinary features were transformed into beauty, and pale, watery eyes were made to sparkle with intellectual expression. This faculty of beautifying rendered him the favorite of the wealthy and aristocratic. He was, moreover, a member of the Academy, and had the honor of being called a friend by the Prince of Wales, circumstances which contributed still more to make him the “fashion.” But, unfortunately, he had not good sense enough to wear these honors meekly. Vanity led him into ridiculous extravagances. He dressed in the extreme of the mode, and kept his servants costumed in the like absurd manner; he gave expensive entertainments, and succeeded in drawing around him a number of frivolous young sprigs of nobility, who would do him the favor of drinking his Champagne and scattering his money at play, and the next morning would amuse their “set” by laughing heartily over the pretensions of the “parvenu.”
Such was the situation of Cosway when he fell in love with Maria Hadfield, wooed, and won her, and took his wife to his magnificently furnished house. Maria was very young, and, having come recently from Italy, was inexpert both in the English language and English customs. Her fashionable husband chose to keep her strictly isolated from all society till she should learn to appear with dignity and grace in the distinguished circles where he meant she should move.
Meanwhile he caused her to complete her artistic education, and to practice on the lessons she received. Her miniatures soon gained such appreciation that the highest praise was awarded to them of all that appeared at the Royal Academy exhibitions. Maria was even pointed out in the street as the successful artist. Then arrived the time when, in Cosway’s opinion, she was fitted to become the central point of attraction in his house for the brilliant society he loved.
Very soon the talk every where was of the young, beautiful, and gifted Italian. Cosway’s receptions were crowded, and half the carriages at his door contained sitters ambitious of the honor of being painted by the hand of his lovely wife. Her portrait of the beautiful Duchess of Devonshire in the character of Spenser’s Cynthia raised her to the pinnacle of reputation.