Story of a Portrait
FrançoisXavier
Fabre’s Lord
Holland
Table of Contents
Topic
Slide #
Title Page
Table of Contents
Biography of Lord Holland
Holland’s Early Politics
The Political Atmosphere of Europe
Political Cartoons of the Whigs
The Grand Tour
Commissioning of the Portrait
Biography of Fabre
Why Fabre?
Social Factors
Political Factors
Neoclassicism
Aesthetics
Comparing Fabre and David
Other Paintings
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9-10
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Topic
Slide #
Themes
17
Creation of the Portrait
18
Iconography
19
Hair
20
Clothing
21
Color
22
Ring
23
Chair
24
Background
25-26
Other versions of the painting
27
Provenance
28
Image Summary
29
Bibliography
30
A Whig is Born
Henry Richard Fox, Third Lord Holland
– Born November 1773, Orphaned at the age
of 5
– Raised by his Uncle Charles James Fox, who
was the leader of the Whig party
– Uncle influenced his future in politics.
– Holland was otherwise extremely shy and
introverted.
Holland’s Early Politics
• The Whig party was a liberal political affiliation
situated in England
• Charles Fox (pictured behind) turned the Whig
faction into a political party called the Foxites
• At an early age, Holland was on his way to
taking his place as the head of the Whig Party
• The Holland House became the center of Whig
society and politics
– The ideals discussed within the Holland House
greatly influenced and shaped Holland’s thoughts.
The Political Atmosphere
• The French Revolution altered Europe by replacing the
monarchy in France with republicanism,
– Causes of Revolution: poor economic situation, high
rate of unemployment, unmanageable national debt
caused by Louis XVI's enormous amounts of
spending, religious intolerance, and a rise of
enlightened ideas
• The French Revolution was nearing the end of the
Radical phase
– 1794- Robespierre executed and Reign of Terror was
brought to an end
• The Whigs were in support of the French Revolution
because it supported their defense of political liberty
against the uncontrolled power of the monarch.
• The members of the Whig party believed in constitutional
monarchism instead of absolutism.
Political Cartoons of the
Whig Party
The Grand Tour
• The Grand Tour marked an educational rite of
passage for wealthy individuals. On their
extravagant tours of the European Continent,
students were exposed to contemporary and ancient
art and architecture as well as fashionable European
society .
• 1791-1796- Lord Holland completed a Grand Tour by
visiting France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and
Denmark.
– On the Grand Tour, he met his future wife Elizabeth Vassall
• In order to commemorate this journey, many
commissioned portraits.
Commissioning the Portrait
• Lord Holland commissioned several
portraits from Fabre
• Portraiture often functioned as a
representation of the stability and
continuity of an aristocratic family’s
heritage and wealth.
– They were commonly ordered during
important events such as the Grand Tour.
Fabre
• Born at Montpellier on April 1, 1766
• Trained under Jean Coustou and, after
moving to Paris, the master of French
Neoclassical painting, Jacques-Louis
David.
– Awarded the Prix de Rome in 1787 for
Nebuchadnezzar Slaying the Sons of
Zedekiah
– His winning the Prix de Rome earned him a
place at the French Academy in Rome
Fabre continued
• The revolution caused the disbandment of
the French Academy in Rome
– Government no longer had enough money to
commission history paintings
– Portraiture became the necessary art to make
money
– Fabre moved to Florence and became a
renowned portrait painter
• In Florence, Holland and Fabre met.
Why Fabre?
Holland’s decision to commission Fabre for
his portrait was probably a result of the
social connection and political similarities
between the two men as well as the
popularity of the Neoclassical style in
which Fabre painted.
The Social Scene
• During the Enlightenment, salons were a major
component of aristocratic social life.
– This allowed the interaction between political figures,
such as Holland, and artists like Fabre
– Holland and Fabre met through the salon of the
countess of Albany, Louise de Stolberg
• Fabre had a good reputation within the Florentine
social circles and among English travelers.
• The Hollands viewed themselves as patrons of
the arts due to their proclivity toward international
knowledge of arts.
– Holland probably chose to patronize Fabre because he
was an accomplished student of the famous David.
Political
• Although Fabre was against the revolution, his
style of painting had political ties with the ideals
of the revolution and Whigs.
• The Whigs supported the anti-despotic and
aristocratic ideals of Neoclassicism
– Detested Gothic style because of its affiliation
with autocracy and religious superstition.
– Romanticism contained too much emotion to
be reasonable and was sympathetic to lower
classes.
Neoclassicism: Aesthetics
• Fabre’s strict Neoclassical style followed
his mentor’s (David’s) style
• Aesthetic Characteristics of Neoclassical
painting:
– Mix of saturated primary colors and subdued
background colors
– Strong lines with no blurring
– Use of Greco-Roman subject matter
– Moral-didactic subject matter
Fabre and David: Similarities in Style
Portrait of Lord Holland by
François-Xavier Fabre (1795)
• Bold primary
colors in the
foreground
• Neutral,
subdued
background
• Use of strong,
solid lines
• Both men wear
similar clothing
• Emphasis on
the hands as a
telling sign of
occupation or
personality
Self Portrait by JacquesLouis David (1794)
Other Neoclassical Paintings
Count Henri-Amédée de
Turenne by JacquesLouis David (1816)
Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David
(1784-1785)
Neoclassical Themes
• Neoclassicism coincided with the
revolutionary idealization of the ancient
Greco-Roman society and government:
• Society was seen as perfect
• Representative government provided liberty and
stability
• Celebration of masculine virtues
Creation of the Portrait
• Holland commissioned the portrait around
the year 1795, shortly after meeting Fabre.
• Different symbols within the three versions
of the painting show a close collaboration
between the artist and the sitter.
Iconography
• While the items in the painting are a
representation of Lord Holland, they also
play a role in depicting a particular
character that both the artist and sitter
wanted to portray.
• Lord Holland probably took full advantage
of this opportunity to illustrate himself as
the rightful heir to the Whig Party
– This is seen through his hair, clothing, and
accessories.
Hair
• Holland’s short hair style was referred to as a “Brutus
crop” after the famous betrayer, or “a la guillotine” after
the beheading device used during the French Revolution
• Wigs were associated with tradition and counterrevolutionary sentiments.
– 1795: tax on powder for wigs was implemented –
Tories continued to wear wigs to support the
government, while Whigs wore short/natural hair to
support the revolution
• Analysis has shown that Holland may have originally
worn a wig, or at least had longer hair, in the portrait.
– The portrait was most likely altered to illustrate Holland’s political
sentiments.
Clothing
“Solitaitre” bow from
Diderot’s
Encyclopedia
Holland’s dress is
dignified without being
overly ornate like the
dress coat on the right
(1770) that many
aristocrats wore in their
portraits.
• Typical fashion of a Whig at the time: short
coat, pants, and a gold waistcoat.
– Clothing is refined yet simple to suggest equality
among all revolutionaries, rich and poor
– Revolutionary principles of liberty and freedom
carried over into fashion, as the revolutionaries
Color
• In this portrait, color itself can be considered a
symbol
• Colors and their political association:
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Court Party: blue.
Independent (Anti-Union): dark grey.
Squadrone Party: green.
Tory Party: red.
Whig Party: yellow.
• Holland’s yellow waistcoat shows his loyalty to the
Whig party
• The dark, rich color of his coat also shows his
support for the Revolution.
Ring
• Holland’s cameo ring is believed to
symbolize multiple aspects of his life.
– It can display his loyalty to antiquity
because cameos often showed
classical figures.
– It could be a symbol of his intent to
marry Elizabeth Vassall, which was a
very controversial issue at the time.
– It also demonstrates a certain family
legacy as rings during the time were
often passed through families as
Cameo ring, like Holland’s,
symbols of rank and prestige.
engraved with a classical figure.
The Chair
• The chair in the portrait is
a Directoire-style chair
• Inspired by classical
antecedents
• Intricately carved animal
(appears to be a lion or a
dragon) by Holland’s hip
stands out as the most
prominent part of the
chair
• European taste for
neoclassical style
Background
• Sparse background with a subdued palette,
clear, well defined lines and a realistic
appearance– common for Neoclassical
paintings
• The engaged pilaster on the wall is the only
detail in the background
– Engaged pilaster is reminiscent of GrecoRoman Architecture
• Not painted in Grand Tour destinations (ruins,
the Parthenon, etc.) like most tourists
Ancient ruins were often
used as backgrounds in
neoclassical portraits,
especially portraits of
artists or aristocrats on the
Grand tour.
Other Versions of the Painting
National Portrait
Gallery, London
Current Study 
Ackland Art Museum,
Chapel Hill
• Three versions of the painting exist and in each version, the hair varies in
length and style.
• The differences show a collaboration between the artist and the sitter to
create an image that characterizes Holland as the heir of the Whig Party.
Provenance
• The painting was originally passed on to
Caroline Fox (granddaughter of the 1st
Lord Holland) and her husband General
Sir Napier
• Philip Napier (great-grandson of Caroline
Fox) sold estate and painting to Brian
Thompson in 1966
• 1982 auctioned at Sotheby’s to Colnaghi
• Ackland purchased painting on July 14,
1987
Summary of Artwork Used in Presentation
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Slide 1
Fabre, François-Xavier. " Henry Richard Vassall Fox, 3rd Baron Holland."
Music: Mozart’s Poco adagio/ Sinfonie Nr. 36
Slide 3
Reynolds, Joshua. Charles James Fox
Slide 4 (clockwise from left side)
Unknown political artists
Slide 6
Panini, Giovanni Paolo. " View of Modern Rome."
Slide 8
Fabre, François-Xavier. "Lucien Bonaparte."
Slide 9
Fabre, François-Xavier. "Portrait of an Official, Said to Be l'Intendant Delonay, Standing Above
Florence."
Slide 10
Fabre, François-Xavier. "Portrait of Vittorio Alfieri."
Slide 11
Troy, Jean-François. " A reading of Molière."
Slide 12
David, Jacques-Louis. "The Tennis Court Oath, Versailles."
Slide 13
Jaques-Louis David Oath of the Horatii
Slide 21
Right side: G F Watts “Portrait of Lady Holland”
Slide 25
The Ackland Museum
Bibliography
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David, Jacques-Louis. “Count Henri-Amédée de Turenne.” Image Gallery Artstor. Firefox. UNC
University Libraries. 9/8/2006 <http://www.artstor.org>.
Dunlap, William. “Major David Van Horne.” Image Gallery Artstor. Firefox. UNC University
Libraries. 9/8/2006 <http://www.artstor.org>.
Naujoks S., Natasha. “Lord Holland and Francois-Xavier Fabre: The Politics of Neoclassical
Portraiture.” Blackboard. November 2006.
<https://blackboard.unc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/commocourse.pl?
course_id=_196631_1>
"Neoclassicism." Wikipedia. 20 11 2006. 22 Nov 2006
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassicism>.
http://www.creativelatitude.com/articles/aricles_lamacusa_color.html
http://www.sassyclassics.com/cameos.htm
http://www.costumes.org/History/100pages/18thmencut.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Parliament_of_Great_Britain