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New volume in the Frick Diptych series features an illuminating essay by Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Aimee Ng paired with a contribution by fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi.
Innumerable pearls line the blue satin dress of the Honorable Frances Duncombe, who wears a bright red jewel on her chest, possibly a ruby or garnet. Frances was raised by her stepmother in the house of the Earl of Radnor and was betrothed to the earl’s eldest son. However, her engagement was broken off when the family discovered her affair with a John Bowater, whom she married in 1778. Exactly when and why this monumental portrait was commissioned from Gainsborough is unknown. After spending some years living in Germany (rumored to have had an affair with Archduke Maximilian Franz, brother of the French queen, Marie Antoinette), Frances returned to England and lived with this portrait in her family home, Old Dalby Hall, in Leicestershire, until her death, in 1827.
Mizrahi’s creative contribution adds greatly to this book about this iconic painting of a fashionable lady. He mentions the moment of first catching a glimpse of the work when seeing it unframed. "I gasp. Frances Duncombe looks every bit as gorgeous unframed, if not even more so for the vulnerability."
Isaac Mizrahi is an actor, host, writer, designer, and producer. He hosted his own television talk show The Isaac Mizrahi Show for seven years, has written two books, and has made countless appearances in movies and on television. He currently serves as a judge on Project Runway: All-Stars. He is chief designer for the Isaac Mizrahi brands, a division of Xcel Brands, Inc.. He has performed cabaret at Café Carlyle, Joe’s Pub, West Bank Café and City Winery locations across the country. Mizrahi has his own production company, Isaac Mizrahi Entertainment, under which he has several projects in development in television, theatre and literature. His memoir,I.M., was published in February 2019.
Aimee Ng is Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator at The Frick Collection, New York.