After Sir Thomas Lawrence P.R.A. 1769-1830

The sitter was the only son of Francis Seymour, 2nd Marquess of Hertford, by Isabella, daughter of Charles, Viscount Irvine.  He had great influence with the Prince Regent and served in his household as Vice-Chamberlain. He was a great connoisseur and advised the Prince Regent on the formation of his collection of Dutch seventeenth century paintings. A number of pictures from his own collection are now in The Wallace Collection, London. He married, on 18th May 1798, the great heiress, Maria Fagniani.  He was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1822, and in 1827 he became envoy extraordinary to Nicholas I of Russia. He is best remembered, however, as the model for both Lord Steyne in Thackeray's Vanity Fair, and Lord Monmouth in Disraeli's Coningsby.  His son, Richard, 4th Marquess of Hertford, was also a connoisseur and an avid collector who left his splendid collection of art to his son, Richard Wallace. He in turn left it to his wife, Lady Wallace, who bequeathed the major part of the family's collection of art to the Nation as The Wallace Collection.