FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2026 
Miss Vernon as Hebe: a Rediscovered Portrait by George Romney to be Auctioned at Drouot
M illon will present, on 29 May, as part of its Masters – Classical Centuries sale, an important portrait by George Romney depicting Carolina Maria Vernon as Hebe.
Born into a prominent English family, Carolina Maria Vernon was the daughter of Richard Vernon of Hilton Park, Member of Parliament for Tavistock in Devon. The portrait was commissioned in 1777 by her brother-in-law, George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, who had married her sister Henrietta the previous year. A passionate collector and distinguished patron of the arts, Greville assembled at Warwick Castle an important collection of Old Master paintings, notably including works by Rubens, Van Dyck and leading English painters. His numerous commissions to George Romney formed part of a broader ambition to create one of the finest aristocratic collections of the period.
Although commissioned in 1777, the painting did not enter the Earl’s collection until 1801, once the account had been fully settled. Kept in Romney’s studio for nearly twenty-four years, the work reflects the close relationship between the painter and his most loyal patrons.
George Romney ranks among the foremost English portrait painters of the second half of the eighteenth century. Initially trained in England under Christopher Steele, he later travelled to Paris and Italy between 1772 and 1775 before establishing himself as one of the preferred painters of British high society. Following the deaths of Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, Romney became the most sought-after society portraitist of his time. His meeting with Lady Hamilton in 1782 would leave a lasting mark on his career, leading to nearly fifty portraits of the woman who became his most celebrated muse.
The provenance of the painting can be traced over almost two centuries. Remaining within the Greville family before being exhibited at Thomas Agnew Gallery in 1905, it later entered the Uthemann collection in Saint Petersburg and subsequently that of a Saint Moritz family from 1917 onwards. Reappearing on the London art market at Sotheby’s in 1966, it has since remained in a private collection, away from public view. This sale now offers the opportunity to rediscover the painting.
The portrait presented by Millon perfectly illustrates Romney’s refined and elegant approach to idealisation. Carolina Maria Vernon is depicted as Hebe, daughter of Zeus and Hera in Greek mythology. Entrusted with serving the gods the nectar of immortality, Hebe traditionally embodies eternal youth. Delicately holding the amphora containing the precious drink, Miss Vernon appears with remarkable softness in a composition marked by serenity and restraint. A subject particularly popular during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Hebe was notably represented by Canova; Romney here offers his own interpretation, imbued with grace and understated elegance.
Although commissioned in 1777, the painting did not enter the Earl’s collection until 1801, once the account had been fully settled. Kept in Romney’s studio for nearly twenty-four years, the work reflects the close relationship between the painter and his most loyal patrons.
George Romney ranks among the foremost English portrait painters of the second half of the eighteenth century. Initially trained in England under Christopher Steele, he later travelled to Paris and Italy between 1772 and 1775 before establishing himself as one of the preferred painters of British high society. Following the deaths of Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, Romney became the most sought-after society portraitist of his time. His meeting with Lady Hamilton in 1782 would leave a lasting mark on his career, leading to nearly fifty portraits of the woman who became his most celebrated muse.
The provenance of the painting can be traced over almost two centuries. Remaining within the Greville family before being exhibited at Thomas Agnew Gallery in 1905, it later entered the Uthemann collection in Saint Petersburg and subsequently that of a Saint Moritz family from 1917 onwards. Reappearing on the London art market at Sotheby’s in 1966, it has since remained in a private collection, away from public view. This sale now offers the opportunity to rediscover the painting.
The portrait presented by Millon perfectly illustrates Romney’s refined and elegant approach to idealisation. Carolina Maria Vernon is depicted as Hebe, daughter of Zeus and Hera in Greek mythology. Entrusted with serving the gods the nectar of immortality, Hebe traditionally embodies eternal youth. Delicately holding the amphora containing the precious drink, Miss Vernon appears with remarkable softness in a composition marked by serenity and restraint. A subject particularly popular during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Hebe was notably represented by Canova; Romney here offers his own interpretation, imbued with grace and understated elegance.
