Portrait of the Artist's Daughters

Artist Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727–1788)

Dateabout 1763–1764

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 127.3 × 101.7 cm (50 1/8 × 40 1/16 in.)
framed: 157.5 × 132.7 cm (62 × 52 1/4 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Terms

Object number1917.181

Label TextGainsborough's two daughters were among his favorite subjects. He painted at least five double and several individual portraits of them at various ages. Here he suggested his daughters' interest in his own profession by showing them holding drawing materials and next to two classical sculptures. X-rays of the painting reveal that Margaret stood originally on the left side of the composition, facing her older sister, Mary. By repositioning her, Gainsborough stressed the close relationship between the two girls- a quality that can be seen also in his other portraits of them. Along with Sir Joshua Reynolds, Gainsborough was instrumental in raising British portrait painting to a level comparable to that found much earlier on the Continent. Influenced by French and Netherlandish art, especially the portraiture of Anthony van Dyck, Gainsborough incorporated elegance and expressive brushwork into his portraits, making him a favorite among England's aristocratic class.ProvenanceBy descent in the artist's family to Richard James Lane (1800–1872), the artist's great-nephew; given to John Jackson, RA (1778–1831); Bryant (dealer), by 1856; James Watson Brett Sale, Christie’s, London, April 21, 1888, lot 131, bought by A. Myers;* Henry Wilkinson and Colleck, 1888; anonymous sale Christie’s, London, December 6, 1902, lot 81, bought by J. Charles Wertheimer; J. C. Wertheimer Estate Sale, Christie’s, London, May 10, 1912, lot 6, bought by Agnew; Sir Edgar Vincent (created Lord d’Abernon in 1926), London, by 1913; Duveen Brothers, New York, by 1917; sold to the Worcester Art Museum, 1917. *said to have been in the collection of Sir Thomas Baring in Brett sale catalogue entry; no documentary evidence has been found to corroborate this claim.

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