Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (painting)

Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel is an oil on canvas portrait painting by the English artist Thomas Lawrence depicting Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of the then-Prince of Wales. It was created in 1804.

History and description

Lawrence, the top portrait painter of the era, had previously created a dual portrait of Caroline and her daughter Princess Charlotte in 1801. Rumours about an alleged affair between Caroline and Lawrence were later a part of the 1806 delicate investigation, a failed attempt by George to secure a divorce from his wife.
It is a frequently reproduced image of Caroline. She wears a red velvet dress, which shows the influence of Renaissance styles on the fashions of the day. On the left is a bust of her father, the Duke of Brunswick, which Caroline had herself sculpted. The painting is today exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London.