Portrait, Purportedly of Jane Austen

The portrait depicts a young woman wearing a striking hat and a fur muff, as was customary for winter attire in the early 19th century. Her appearance is both simple and elegant. The watercolour, painted around 1815, is attributed to James Stanier Clarke, an English clergyman and librarian to the future King George IV. The drawing comes from his personal friendship album and is said to depict the writer Jane Austen. Clarke did indeed know Austen and was in contact with her. However, there is no definitive evidence that she sat for this portrait. Whether it is an authentic likeness or an idealised depiction therefore remains a matter of debate to this day. It is precisely this unclear provenance that makes the work interesting from an art-historical perspective.

The reproduction is printed on Renoir watercolour paper. Its matt, finely textured surface is particularly well suited to rendering the delicate colour tones and drawn details of the original watercolour. The soft transitions remain visible and the print preserves the understated character of the original. The album containing the drawing was offered for auction at Christie’s in 2011 but failed to find a buyer. The woman depicted has not yet been definitively identified as Jane Austen.