Beschreibung:

Charlotte Augusta (Princess of Wales, 1796-1817). Portrait of a young boy, pencil and chalk on grey wove paper, head and shoulders portrait half-profile to the right, of a smiling curly-haired boy, 29.5 x 22.5 cm (11 1/2 x 8 3/4 ins), modern gilt moulded frame (33 x 26 cm), backboard with label written in ink in a contemporary hand: 'Drawing by the Princess Charlotte Given by her to her Preceptor the Bishop of Salisbury' (Quantity: 1) A rare drawing by Princess Charlotte - given that she died in childbirth at the age of only 21 - which was gifted by her to her teacher and mentor, John Fisher The Princess was the only child of George, Prince of Wales (eldest son of King George III, later to become King George IV) and Caroline of Brunswick; had she outlived her father and her grandfather, she would have become Queen. John Fisher (1748-1825) was a Church of England clergyman who was appointed Bishop of Exeter in 1803, before becoming Bishop of Salisbury in 1807. In 1780 he was appointed Preceptor to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and in 1781 became chaplain to King George III and Deputy Clerk of the Closet, in 1786 taking up the post of Canon of St George's Chapel, Windsor. It was in 1805 that he was appointed Preceptor to Princess Charlotte. By all accounts Charlotte was a mischievous pupil, often mimicking the Bishop behind his back. When referring to himself he pronounced the word bishop 'bishup', emphasising the last syllable, so the nine-year-old Charlotte soon nicknamed him 'the Great UP'. Also notable is Fisher's friendship with John Constable; he presided at Constable's wedding and commissioned his Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds (executed in 1823). Fisher became a close and trusted friend of Constable, as well as one of his best patrons; he was often called 'King's Fisher' in reference to his connection to the Royal Family, an association which was a valuable asset to the painter.