An original 1820s watercolour painting, George Dyer, Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales.

This very fine portrait pair painted in watercolour is by Sussex portrait miniaturist George Dyer (fl.1821–1847). The sitters are Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales (1796–1817), heiress to the British throne, and Leopold I, King of the Belgians (1831–1865), whom Charlotte married as Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg in 1816. Princess Charlotte was the only legitimate child of King George IV. After a year of marriage to Leopold she tragically died aged twenty-one following childbirth. Had she outlived her grandfather and father she would have become Queen of the United Kingdom. Charlotte's death set off tremendous mourning among the British public, who had seen her as a sign of hope in contrast to her unpopular father and grandfather. She was considered a 'well-set, young beautiful woman' and was painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence, Richard Cosway and her appointed miniaturist Charlotte Jones. Leopold I, King of the Belgians, was a German prince who fought in the Russian army. Following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands in 1830, he became the first King of the Belgians. Prince Leopold was known for his dashing good looks and after Princess Charlotte's death he continued to enjoy considerable status in Britain and was beloved amongst the public as her 'afflicted consort'. In 1840 Leopold arranged the marriage of his niece, Queen Victoria, to his nephew, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and he went on to act as an advisor to his niece for many years. Leopold was widely painted by artists, including Sir Thomas Lawrence, Sir George Hayter, Alfred Edward Chalon and George Dawe.The present portraits are after paintings by English portraitist George Dawe RA, which were popularly reproduced as mezzotints in the day. The Princess Charlotte portrait is after a mezzotint by William Say after George Dawe, 1817, and the King Leopold painting is after a mezzotint by Henry Edward Dawe after George Dawe, circa 1817.George Dyer is listed as being a professional portrait miniature painter, active 1821-47 and local to the Sussex area, located at Brighton (1822) and Worthing (1826). The scale of this work is larger than a miniature, but the artist's skill as a miniaturist is greatly in evidence: in the particularly fine treatment of facial features and hair, the exquisite bodycolour detailing to Charlotte's lace neckline, and the overall intensity and focus of the compositions.Both paintings are in watercolour with touches of gum arabic and white bodycolour. On card. The card is cut to two oval shapes as shown.