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CECILIA-MARIA À COURT FROM THE MIDDLETON WATERCOLOR ALBUM

Creator(s):

Currently in storage


About this object

Cecilia-Maria À Court (1811-1889) was the only daughter of William À Court (Lord Heytesbury), a British diplomat and politician (52.39.6). She first traveled to St. Petersburg when her father served as Ambassador to Russia from 1828 to 1832. Despite her youth, Cecilia-Maria attended many premier social gatherings and mingled with the city’s elite. Captain James Edward Alexander recorded in his 1829 travelogue that she even appeared on the arm of Emperor Nicholas I at a masked ball. In his memoirs of life in Russia, Williams Middleton described her as “one of the most charming ladies in society.” It is likely that Cecilia-Maria followed her father when he left Russia in 1832. She married the Honorable Robert Daly, son of the 1st Baron Dunsandle, in 1845 and had several children. Cecilia-Maria died in England in 1889.

The half-length portrait portrays Cecilia-Maria À Court with her body facing forward and her face and eyes turned slightly to the right, against a background of blue sky with grey clouds. Her light brown hair is elaborately styled in an Apollo knot. She wears an elegant blue-green dress and a fur stole around her shoulders.

Object name:
CECILIA-MARIA À COURT FROM THE MIDDLETON WATERCOLOR ALBUM
Made from:
Watercolor on paper
Date made:
1828-1832
Size:
H. 6 1/2 in., W. 5 1/8 in.

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:
52.39.7
Signature marks:
inscription Miss A’Court Bottom of page In cursive
Credit line:
Museum Purchase, 2004