Jean-Laurent Mosnier

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Description

The sitter is the second of the children of Thomas and Lady Betty Cobbe, and made her debut as the belle of the last two balls of the season at Dublin Castle in November 1777, when she was described by Lady Louisa Conolly as ‘not so beautiful as, but vastly in the style of’ the celebrated Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire. She was painted by Mosnier, forced into England in 1790 by the French Revolution. He remained in London until 1796, when he departed for Russia, and was appointed court painter to the Tsar.