Thomas Benjamin Kennington, Portrait of Agnes Chichester - Antique Oil Painting

This splendid late-19th-century oil painting by British artist Thomas Benjamin Kennington (1856-1916) depicts Miss Agnes Chichester in a wooded area before a garden landscape. She commissioned it as a wedding gift for her future husband, Sir Dixon Hartland MP.

Adorned in a sumptuous sheer turquoise gown trimmed with gold lace, she steps towards the viewer with elegance and certainty. It’s a sensitive portrayal, designed for the eyes of her loved one. The pair married on the 25th of April at St. Peter's in Belgravia - a neoclassical gem described as “one of the most beautiful churches in London”. Amid an array of white blooms, ferns, and large palms, the hymn 'O perfect love, all human thought transcending,' captured the mood with poignancy.

For the day itself, Miss Chichester opted for a “becoming gown of the richest white poult-de-soie and white satin brocade” - the skirt “veiled in beautiful lace”, together with a long court train. “She wore a small spray of orange blossom and an exquisite Brussels lace veil” while her accessories “were a magnificent diamond tiara, diamond necklace, diamond/pearl bracelet and diamond/emerald bracelet”. It was quite an ensemble.

For substantial weddings, the Victorian press often published a list of gifts presented to the happy couple, including the names of those giving them - and it was on this list that we discovered “From Bride to Bridegroom, her portrait by Kennington”. This very piece.

Thomas Benjamin Kennington was a respected painter of genre scenes and portraits, primarily known for his enchanting depictions of women. Born in Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire, he undertook his training in Liverpool before enrolling at South Kensington School of Art. He won numerous accolades during his training, which presumably encouraged him to travel to Paris and attend the distinguished Académie Julian.

Here, he worked with two figure painters of the highest order - William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. Both were exceedingly academic and well-admired in the illustrious world of the Paris Salon. Kennington evidently respected his tutors as his own style is a direct reflection. In his scenes, the guiding hand of Bouguereau is particularly prominent, while we see a little of Robert-Fleury in his portraiture.

In 1880, he debuted at London’s Royal Academy with ‘Written Love’, where he continued to exhibit annually until his death in 1916. The mainstay of his shown works describe domestic subjects, such as demure young ladies clutching letters, siblings warming their feet by a kitchen hearth, and women gazing longingly into boudoir mirrors. But in addition, he also produced numerous grittier scenes focusing on the plight of the poor, such as Orphans (1885), which is at the Tate, and The Pinch of Poverty (1891), currently at the Foundling Museum.

In 1888, as recognition of his success, he was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists, and a year later, became a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI). Numerous commissions subsequently followed and, in 1898, he produced a portrait of a suitably sombre Queen Victoria.

Following the loss of his wife, he spent his remaining years in Chelsea with his cousin and son - continuing to work at the highest echelon until his death in 1916. His son was the painter, sculptor, and illustrator Eric Henri Kennington (1888-1960).

Aside from the museums referred to above, Thomas Benjamin Kennington is also represented at King's College London, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the Walker Art Gallery.

Signed/dated in the lower left and held within a fine 19th-century Florentine style gilt frame, which is probably original.

Learn more about Thomas Benjamin Kennington in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Overall size: 22” x 30½” / 56cm x 78cm

Year of creation: 1895

Provenance: With Sir Dixon Hartl