Her Majesty Queen Charlotte raising the Genius of the Fine Arts

This allegorical scene portrays Queen Charlotte in a style typical of English portrait compositions, set against a landscape background. The queen, dressed in a ceremonial gown and wearing an elaborate hairstyle adorned with pearls, is shown standing before a sleeping young boy. She touches his shoulder with her hand in an attempt to wake him. Behind the queen is her identifying attribute – a crown resting on a cushion placed atop a pedestal. The embodiment of the Genius of Arts and Sciences is represented by a winged boy surrounded by objects that symbolise his domain: a book, brushes, a globe, a compass, a scroll, and a protractor. An antique rotunda in the background of the park alludes to a temple dedicated to the Muses. The portrayed sovereign is Sophie Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744–1818), the daughter of Karl Ludwig Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg (1708–1752), and Elisabeth of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1713–1761). Through her marriage to George III of Hanover (1738–1820) in 1761, Charlotte became Queen of Great Britain and Electress – later Queen, from 1814 – of Hanover. Beneath the composition is her elaborate coat of arms under a royal crown, flanked by acanthus branches and adorned with a floral festoon, set against a backdrop of the royal mantle. The original painting that inspired this print was created by the renowned and respected Swiss-born portraitist Angelica Kauffman (1741–1807). The engraving itself was produced by Thomas Burke (1749–1815), an Irish engraver known for creating numerous reproductive prints and illustrations. Burke was one of the key interpreters of Angelica Kauffman’s compositions, along with the publisher of this print, William Wynne Ryland (1732–1783). Ewa Gwiazdowska