A66: Unknown lady with a blue cloak

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

Lady in a blue cloak, c.1765

Oil on Canvas

Collection of Sir Thomas William Holburne 

Unlike many of his contemporaries, who preferred to paint female sitters in timeless classical robes, Gainsborough used the fashions of his day to great advantage. Like his admired predecessor Van Dyck, he painted the rustling silks, lace and trimmings of the elegant with a virtuosity that made them as much a feature of the portrait as the sitter's likeness. 

Gainsborough lived and worked in a building next to the Pump Room in Bath, where his sister Mrs Mary Gibbon also ran milliner's shop.  Women, such as the sitter in this painting, could buy all the latest accessories in this shop, in order to keep up with the latest fashions. 

At some stage the painted surface of this portrait has suffered from over-cleaning and the varnish has become dull in parts.  In his 1958 catalogue of Gainsborough's works, Ellis Waterhouse described it as "a ruin".  

This painting hung in Sir William Holburne's Dining Room in Cavendish Crescent, Bath. 

A66

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

Lady in a blue cloak, c.1765

Oil on Canvas

Collection of Sir Thomas William Holburne Like Louisa Byam (on the right), this lady adheres strictly to the fashions of the mid 1760s.  Visitors to Bath found themselves in a city full of elegant shops, where the latest fashions were paraded in public daily.  Many ladies would no doubt have visited the milliner's shop next to the Pump Room owned by Mrs Mary Gibbon, whose brother Thomas Gainsborough lived and worked in the same building.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, who preferred to paint female sitters in timeless classical robes, Gainsborough used the fashions of his day to great advantage. Like his admired predecessor Van Dyck, he painted the rustling silks, lace and trimmings of the elegant with a virtuosity that made them as much a feature of the portrait as the sitter's likeness.

The blue of this unknown lady's cloak and ribbons would once have been as vivid as that of Louisa Byam's gown.  Blue was a favourite and very expensive colour in the 1760s, not only for clothes but also for upholstery.  A few years later, Gainsborough's treatment of blue silk reached its apogee in The Blue Boy (Huntington Gallery, California).

The ruff and ribbon worn around the lady's neck are very similar to that worn by Queen Charlotte in her portrait of c.1766 in the Holburne Museum.  Like the Queen, she also wears a miniature on her wrist. Pearl earrings were another favourite accessory in the 1760s: they flattered pale English skin (sometimes enhanced with pearl powder), and went well with day dresses where precious stones would have been too brilliant.

At some stage the painted surface has suffered from over-cleaning and the varnish has become dull in parts.  In his 1958 catalogue of Gainsborough's works, Ellis Waterhouse described it as a ruin.

This painting hung in Sir William Holburne's Dining Room. 

A66

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

Lady in a blue cloak

Oil on Canvas c.1765

Collection of Sir William Holburne

This portrait, which hung in Sir William Holburne's Dining Room, was the only genuine painting by Gainsborough in his collection.  It is in poor condition, having received a dramatic cleaning in the 1920s which severely affected the subject's face; the varnish has become dull in parts and the elegant carved frame needs attention.  In his 1958 catalogue of Gainsborough's works, Ellis Waterhouse described it as "a ruin". 

Like Louisa Byam (in the centre of this wall), this lady adheres strictly to the fashions of the mid 1760s.  Unlike many of his contemporaries, who preferred to paint female sitters in timeless classical robes, Gainsborough used the fashions of his day to great advantage.  The blue of this unknown lady's cloak and ribbons would once have been as vivid as that of Louisa Byam's gown. 

A66