Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton, 1765-1815 (also formerly known as 'Lady Hamilton as Ariadne')

Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton, was Romney's most famous model, sitting for him over sixty times between 1782 and 1786. Emma's expressive beauty inspired Romney to create some of his finest work, and her later fame as Nelson's mistress has added historical resonance to these portraits. Romney's oil handling was distinguished by fluid, rapidly applied strokes and an instinctive sense of elegant silhouette, producing portraits of apparent effortlessness that concealed careful preparatory drawing.

Romney's fluid, rapid brushwork captures Emma's animated features with characteristic vivacity, the composition focusing on expression and gesture rather than costume detail.