Portrait of a woman, possibly of the Wyche family
Date
1700s-1720s
Creator
Studio of Godfrey Kneller (1646 - 1723, British) , Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (canvas): 1270mm
width (canvas): 1016mm
width (canvas): 1016mm
Description
Three-quarter length portrait of a woman, inclined to the left, pointing with her right hand. She wears a cream-coloured satin dress, with a light pink shawl draped over her right side, and her hair pulled back off her face, over her right shoulder. Behind, a terrace is visible and the sky beyond.
Partial Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) signature and date in the lower right-hand corner of the canvas: 'G. Kne [...] 17 [...]'.
This portrait was previously believed to depict Mary Wyche, née Evelyn (1648-1723), Sir Cyril Wyche's FRS (1632-1707) third wife; but her exact identity remains obscure.
Partial Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) signature and date in the lower right-hand corner of the canvas: 'G. Kne [...] 17 [...]'.
This portrait was previously believed to depict Mary Wyche, née Evelyn (1648-1723), Sir Cyril Wyche's FRS (1632-1707) third wife; but her exact identity remains obscure.
Object history
Purchased by the Royal Society, 2019, from a private collector.
This portrait was accessioned with a portrait of Sir Cyril as a pair. The partial date would support the identification of Mary Wyche out of Sir Cyril's three wives, as she was married to Wyche from1692-1707. Similarly, the fashion represented is in-keeping with the early 18th century. However, the portrait is omitted from Frederick Duleep Singh's list of Wyche family portraits in Portraits in Norfolk Houses (1928), problematising its association to Sir Cyril and the Wyche family generally.
This portrait was researched with funding from the Understanding British Portraits network. Additional resources can be found at the below links:
Blogpost: https://royalsociety.org/blog/2023/06/ seeing-clearly
Google Arts & Culture exhibition: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/cwURQOD-UFAtMg
This portrait was accessioned with a portrait of Sir Cyril as a pair. The partial date would support the identification of Mary Wyche out of Sir Cyril's three wives, as she was married to Wyche from1692-1707. Similarly, the fashion represented is in-keeping with the early 18th century. However, the portrait is omitted from Frederick Duleep Singh's list of Wyche family portraits in Portraits in Norfolk Houses (1928), problematising its association to Sir Cyril and the Wyche family generally.
This portrait was researched with funding from the Understanding British Portraits network. Additional resources can be found at the below links:
Blogpost: https://royalsociety.org/blog/2023/06/ seeing-clearly
Google Arts & Culture exhibition: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/cwURQOD-UFAtMg
Associated place
