Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
William Baldwin,
|
He
mar 1779 [her age 16, him age 35]
to
Jane Maltass
[born 26th June 1763, Smyrna, Turkey].
They travelled to England. They stopped en route in Vienna in 1780 (her age 17), where they were received by the British Ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire, Robert Murray Keith. In Vienna, Emperor Joseph (born 1741) was so entranced with Jane's beauty he commissioned a bust of her, and the elderly Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg commissioned a portrait of her. [Jane's obituary] says they arrived London 1781. She was known as the "pretty Greek" in London society. (She was not Greek, but the W European merchants lived among the Greek community of W Turkey.) "This pretty Greek as we call her" [Diary of Mrs Hester Lynch Thrale]. Her portrait was painted in London by Sir Joshua Reynolds in Feb 1782 (her age 18). He painted her in Eastern dress. Fanny Burney and others in London society were much impressed by her. Her portrait was painted by Richard Cosway. She lived in England for a number of years. Her intelligence and beauty attracted many admirers, including the Prince of Wales (future George IV, born 1762). Even old Dr Johnson (died 1784) asked permission to kiss her. |
British Consul-General in Egypt:
George was
British Consul-General
in Egypt 1786 to 1796.
He departed England with his wife in Aug 1786.
They
stopped with her family at Smyrna.
He went on to
Alexandria, Egypt.
He
built up extensive property in Alexandria.
Jane joined him in Egypt and was there as at 1789.
He warned London of French plans for Egypt, but was not listened to and
his post was terminated in 1793 (though oddly he did not receive the message until 1796).
He
left Egypt 1798
as the French invasion loomed,
leaving behind his property in Alexandria,
which the French seized.
He
went to Italy, where he assisted with the planning of the British counter-invasion of Egypt.
He
returned to Egypt with the British forces
in Mar 1801.
He
returned to England in May 1801.
Jane's portrait was painted by
William Pyne
(born 1769).
Their marriage was unhappy.
George wrote on his belief in
magnetic therapy.
(Now regarded as
pseudoscience.)
He retired to
Earl's Court, London.
He died Earl's Court, 19 February 1826,
age 81 yrs.
Jane died 1839, age 76 yrs.
George and Jane
had issue:
The portrait
was done by Reynolds for his own interest
and was not given to the Maltass/Baldwin family.
After Reynolds' death it was owned by his niece,
the wife of
Murrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of Thomond.
Then owned by
Richard Westall.
Bought by 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
1813.
It hung at Lansdowne House
in Berkeley Square, London,
then later
at his family's seat
Bowood House, Wiltshire.
It is listed as
"Portrait of a Greek lady"
in the Bowood collection in
Treasures of Art in Great Britain, Dr. Waagen,
1854,
Vol.III, p.160.
Sold for £3.4m at
Sotheby's in 2004,
the 2nd highest auction price ever reached
for a work by Reynolds.
Now in Compton Verney art gallery,
Warwickshire.
Jane Maltass in Feb 1782, age 18.
Detail of above.
Now at Compton Verney art gallery, Warwickshire.
From abcgallery.com.
See terms of use.
From [Leslie and Taylor, 1865, vol.2].
Left:
Pages 350-351.
Right:
Page 387.
Letter from
Samuel Crisp
to
Fanny Burney, 25 Feb 1782.
Pages 98-99
of Diary and letters of Madame d'Arblay
(Diary of Fanny Burney),
vol.2,
1854.
Letter from Fanny Burney to Samuel Crisp, 15 Mar 1782.
Page 102
of above.
And here.
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