James Ward, R.A. London 1769 - 1859 Cheshunt

The Hon. Juliana Talbot (1759-1801) was the daughter of the Hon. George Talbot, who was the brother of the 14th Earl of Shrewsbury.  After his death, the latter's title devolved to Juliana's brother, who thus became the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury.  During the 1780's Juliana Talbot met and became engaged to Michael Bryan (1727-1821), who was then studying the history of art in continental Europe, and subsequently became one of the foremost art historians and dealers of his time, as well as an early patron of James Ward.  An execution date of circa 1798 has been suggested for this picture.  This date coincides with one of the most important events in Michael Bryan's career: he was in charge of the negotiations of the sale of the Italian and French paintings of the Orléans collection to the Duke of Bridgewater.

James Ward already had an established career as a mezzotint engraver, a skill he had acquired during his training with his brother William Ward and John Raphael Smith.  By 1790, the demand for his engravings was very high, yet the artist's true desire was to gain recognition as a painter in oil.  Upon meeting Michael Bryan, Ward received a commission from him to paint a family portrait, which is currently preserved in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle.  The present picture is adapted from this large portrait: the painter used the left hand side of the picture to create a new composition, which shows only Juliana and three of her children.  In the present painting, Ward combines features that stem from his two strongest artistic influences, his brother in law George Morland and Peter Paul Rubens.  The former's impact on Ward's style is evident in the sweetness that characterizes this depiction of a mother and her three chidren.  However, the vivid coloring and areas of rich impasto owe much to Ward's extensive study of Rubens' painting style.