A focused display of the recently rediscovered portraits of
Samuel Woodforde & Mary Woodforde
By Mary Beale
From 19th August until 17th September 2024
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This exceptional pair of portraits can be considered among Mary Beale’s (1633-1699) most accomplished formal portraits. They depict Samuel and Mary Woodforde, close friends of the Beale family, and were painted around five years before Beale established a professional portrait practice in London.
Until recently, these portraits had been misattributed to Michiel van Musscher, a Dutch painter active in the late seventeenth century. Confusions of authorship are all too common within Beale’s oeuvre as she rarely signed her work. However, as more works by her hand come to light, we can develop a greater understanding of her style, which will aid future attributions. The outstanding condition of both portraits here offers an insight into her lyrical painting style at this date. Across both portraits, thin paint is built up quickly over washy preparation layers beneath, a technique less common in the works she produced following her move back to London in 1671.
Beale was a particularly observant portraitist, often including slight marks or blemishes that most artists would ignore. A tiny birthmark is indicated beside Mary’s nose, instilling a sense of authenticity and realism within an otherwise flawless complexion.
In his left hand, Samuel holds a book, possibly referring to his Paraphrase Upon the Psalms of David (1667), which he wrote while lodging with the Beale family and in which he included five poems written by Beale. Woodforde’s distinctive likeness is directly comparable to a miniature by Thomas Flatman – another of Beale’s close friends – in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, which has aided his identification in the present portrait.
The display is free to all. Booking is not required.
