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| Title | Portrait of an Unknown Woman | |
| Alternative Title | Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough | |
| Collection | Victoria Art Gallery, Bath | |
| Artist | Werff, Pieter van der (Dutch painter, 1665-1722) Previously attributed to Werff, Adriaen van der (Dutch painter and draftsman, 1659-1722) |
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| Date | 1709 (dated) | |
| Signed | yes | |
| Description | This is a three-quarter length portrait of a middle-aged woman. She is depicted sitting, and is luxuriously attired in a tangerine-coloured dress edged in gold, with a blue drape secured at the shoulder with a brooch. Her silver-grey coiffeur is held in place with a jewelled comb. To the left of the composition, a balcony ledge with a landscape beyond. The work forms a pair with Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman (BATVG:P:1945.26). | |
| Current Accession Number | BATVG:P:1945.27 | |
| Inscription | front cl ‘P : V T. WERFT fe.t A. N. o 1709’ | |
| Subject | portrait | |
| Measurements | 46.7 x 40.6 cm cm (estimate) | |
| Material | oil on canvas | |
| Acquisition Details | Given by Mrs M. H. Williams 1945. | |
| Principal Exhibitions | Bath Assembly Exhibition, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, 1948. | |
| Publications | Catalogue of Pictures: Exhibition of Pictures in the Possession of the Corporation of the City of Bath, Bath, 1948, p. 4; Sloman, S., Victoria Art Gallery: Concise Catalogue of Paintings and Drawings, Bath, 1991, p. 109. | |
| Notes | Mrs Williams of Torquay donated a number of works to the Victoria Art Gallery, including the pendant to the present work, following the death of her husband. Other objects were given to Bristol City Art Gallery. | |
| Rights Owner | Victoria Art Gallery, Bath | |
| Author | Dr Susan Steer | |