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Lady Diana Beauclerk Cabinet, 1784

Lady Diana Beauclerk Cabinet, 1784
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Ebony cabinet built for Horace Walpole by Edward Edwards in 1784 to hold drawings by his close friend, Lady Diana Beauclerk. The doors and sides of the cabinet (which originally belonged in Walpole's "little Gothic castle", Strawberry Hill in Twickenham) are inset with several of her drawings and examples of her designs for Wedgewood.

The drawings which Walpole kept in the cabinet were Lady Diana's illustrations for his play, The Mysterious Mother.

Lady Diana was an amateur artist of repute. Formerly lady of the manor at Lydiard Park, her first husband was Frederick St.John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke who notoriously divorced her in 1768.

Lydiard Park is the only place in the UK with a room devoted to Lady Diana. The exquisite boudoir includes portraits of her, examples of her painted murals, her pastel portrait of her eldest son George, watercolours and engravings after her work.



Year:
1784
Creator:
Lady Diana Beauclerk & Edward Edwards
Type:
Furniture
Location:
Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University, USA
Owner:
Lewis Walpole Library
Copyright:
Lewis Walpole Library
Last updated on:
Thursday 2nd September 2021

Items of Interest

Painted panel by Lady Diana Beauclerk, c1800
Painted panel by Lady Diana Beauclerk, c1800

One of a set of nine painted panels by the widowed...

Portrait of Lady Diana Spencer (1743-1808) 2nd Viscountess Bolingbroke, 19th Century
Portrait of Lady Diana Spencer (1743-1808) 2nd Viscountess Bolingbroke, 19th Century

Charcoal portrait after a painting of Lady Diana S...

A View of Lady Diana Beauclerk's House in Twickenham Meadows, 1784
A View of Lady Diana Beauclerk's House in Twickenham Meadows, 1784

After the death of her second husband Topham Beauc...