''Thaïs'' is a portrait by Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

of the English

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

Emily Warren Emily Warren Schwartz (born August 25, 1992) is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, ''Quiet Your Mind'', was released in 2019. Warren had her first hit as a songwriter in 2016 as a co-writer on the Chainsmokers song "Don ...

in the guise of the ''

hetaera A (; , ; . , ), Romanization of Greek, Latinized as ( ), was a type of highly educated female companion in ancient Greece who served as an artist, entertainer, and conversationalist. Historians have often classed them as courtesans, but th ...

Thaïs Thaïs (; ; ) was a Greek who accompanied Alexander the Great on his military campaigns. Likely from Athens, she is most famous for having instigated the burning of Persepolis, the capital city of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, after it was con ...

, mistress of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

. It is in oil on canvas and measures 229 x 145 cm. She holds a burning torch and with the other hand exhorts Alexander and his followers to burn down

Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...

. Reynolds exhibited it at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in London in 1781."The Modern Apelles: Joshua Reynolds and the creation of celebrity" by Martin Postle in Martin Postle (Ed.) (2005) ''Joshua Reynolds: The creation of celebrity''. London: Tate Publishing. pp. 29-30. It is now at

Waddesdon Manor Waddesdon Manor is a English country house, country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by the National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation, it is one of the National Trust's most visited properties, ...

. The painting was published as a print engraved by

Francesco Bartolozzi __NOTOC__ Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727 – 7 March 1815) was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London. He is noted for popularizing the "crayon" method of engraving. Early life Bartolozzi was born in Flo ...

in 1792.

History of creation

In his work, Reynolds combined a portrait, historical painting and social overtones. The image is inspired by John Dryden's poem "The Feast of Alexander" ("Thaïs led the Way / To light him to his Prey / And, like another Helen, fir'd another Troy'"), which describes an episode of the second Greco-Persian war. Hetera Tais, who accompanied the Macedonian army, at a victorious feast after the capture of the Achaemenid capital of Persepolis, calls for burning the city, thus taking revenge on the Persians for the ruin of Greek cities. The model was the courtesan Emily, mistress of Charles Greville. Some researchers have suggested that Emma Lyon, also Greville's mistress and future Lady Hamilton, posed for the picture. However, it is more likely that Emily Bertie Pott, who also called herself Emily Warren, is portrayed as Thais, and a likely portrait of her by Romney is exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Inv. No. 58.102.2). The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1781 and provoked an ironic comment from one of the viewers, who claimed that the artist, having not received payment for his work from Emily, depicted her setting fire to the Temple of Chastity, indicating her status. Some of Reynolds's acquaintances denied this story, however, as Phillippa Plock, former curator at Waddesdon Manor, notes, it is quite possible that the artist wanted the picture to be associated with women like Emily, when the very name of the famous hetaera meant a courtesan.

References

Portraits by Joshua Reynolds 1781 paintings Waddesdon Manor Paintings in South East England Cultural depictions of Thaïs Collections of the National Trust Paintings of women {{1780s-painting-stub