This portrait of Gainsborough’s older daughter Mary was produced in 1777 around the same time as a portrait made of his youngest, Margaret Gainsborough, holding a Theorbo (NG6687), which entered the National Gallery Collection in 2019. Unusually, the artist has inscribed the work with the name of the sitter and signed it, indicating the work is complete. These paintings of the two sisters were kept by the artist’s descendants throughout the nineteenth century, reflecting their importance to the family.
Both portraits are notably unfinished, though Margaret’s is less finished than this painting of Mary, as are The Artist’s Daughters, chasing a Butterfly (NG1811) and The Artist’s Daughters, playing with a Cat (NG3812), also in the National Gallery Collection. The loose handling and experimentation adopted in all these works reflect the intimate relationship the artist held with each sitter. Together they demonstrate his distinctive approach to representing his family.
This work also reflects Gainsborough’s knowledge of, and desire to emulate, paintings by great artists from previous generations. The painting to which the portrait of Mary alludes, is now known to be a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) of his wife.
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