- Artist
- Thomas Gainsborough 1727–1788
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 2210 × 1450 mm
frame: 2610 × 1845 × 155 mm - Collection
- Lent from a private collection 1989
On long term loan - Reference
- L01439
Online caption
Thomas Gainsborough completed this painting of Mary Bate-Dudley a year before he died. The two were acquainted through her husband Sir Henry Bate-Dudley, the Anglican parson and journalist who fervently championed the artist’s work in the press. Unusually in Gainsborough’s art, the sitter’s head is shown in profile, with her index finger touching her temple. Gainsborough’s choice of this relaxed pose, and the classical pedestal and urn, elevate this painting from conventional portraiture to what was considered ‘grand manner’. Paintings in this style referenced history, religion or myth to suggest status and nobility.
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