"Saved for the Nation" extremely rare 17th-century painting depicting Black female sitter alongside her white companion
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, December 12, 2024


"Saved for the Nation" extremely rare 17th-century painting depicting Black female sitter alongside her white companion
This almost unique painting shows two women, one Black and one white, side by side, presented as companions and equals, wearing similar dress, hair and jewellery.



COMPTON VERNEY.- Allegorical Painting of Two Ladies, an English School work dating to around 1650 was at risk of permanently leaving the UK after being sold at auction in 2021, but now with generous support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) and V&A Purchase Grants, it will go on display at Compton Verney for the public to enjoy.

This almost unique painting shows two women, one Black and one white, side by side, presented as companions and equals, wearing similar dress, hair and jewellery. The portrayal of a Black female sitter is highly unusual in this period, especially in showing an adult rather than a child in a position of subservience, thereby inviting important debate about race and gender during the period.

Another remarkable aspect of the painting is the depiction of beauty patches on both the women. Although in vogue at the time, the painting appears to condemn wearing these “spots” as the inscription above the two women declares beauty patches to be a sin of pride, a widespread opinion in the 17th-century. This style of work gives the painting an affinity with popular woodcut prints at the time, making it clear the work is allegorical and associating it with satirical verse, pamphlets and sermons.

Following its sale at auction in 2021, the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) agreed the work should remain the nation because of its “outstanding significance” to the study of race and gender in 17th century Britain. The recent resurfacing of the painting has generated new possibilities for exploring the early history of Black culture in Britain.

Thanks to grants of £154,600 from the NHMF and £50,000 V&A Purchase Grants Two Ladies will go on public display in the UK next year, allowing its complicated narratives to be widely studied and understood. The remainder of the £304,534 cost of the painting comes from the Compton Verney Collections Settlement.

The painting will now undergo conservation, before being unveiled in a display at Compton Verney in 2024.

Geraldine Collinge, Compton Verney CEO says: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to add this hugely important painting to the Compton Verney collection. We are also pleased to be able to work with our colleagues at Yale - their world-class conservation facilities and expertise will restore the work to the highest standard for UK display, along with providing further insight and greater understanding of the painting and its context.”

Dr Simon Thurley CBE, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “We are delighted that the National Heritage Memorial Fund has been able to support the acquisition of this unique painting, and that it will become part of the collection at Compton Verney in perpetuity. This dual portrait provides great opportunities to enrich our understanding of race and gender in the 17th century. We look forward to hearing the outcomes of the research that will be undertaken at Yale and, after the conservation work, seeing the painting displayed at Compton Verney for the UK public to admire and enjoy.”

Andrew Hochhauser KC, Chair of the RCEWA, said: “The Committee and I are extremely pleased that Allegorical painting of Two Ladies from the English School from around 1650 has been saved for the nation and will be on display at Compton Verney. This anonymous mid-17th century painting is a great rarity: it shows two women with beauty patches, one black and one white, side by side, presented as companions and equals. The painting will delight audiences and encourage debate about and research into race and gender during the period.”










Today's News

June 25, 2023

Imagine Spider-Woman with a crochet hook

Landmark exhibition 'William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows' travels to the MFAH

Lark Mason Associates presents a Summer Sale of Paintings, Prints, and Other Fine and Decorative Works of Art

"Saved for the Nation" extremely rare 17th-century painting depicting Black female sitter alongside her white companion

Gold Rush photography achieves top prices during Hindman's American Historical Ephemera & Photography Auction

Enter the 50-ton concert hall that hangs like a disco ball

Almine Rech opening of two venues in Gstaad and the Principality of Monaco

'Sonic Presence (or Absence): Sound in Contemporary Art' opens at The Fabric Workshop and Museum

Heritage Auctions awarded legendary Walter J. Husak Collection of Large Cents

Perrotin Marais hosting 'Xavier Veilhan: Portrait Mode' until the end of July

'Dara Birnbaum' at Prada Aoyama with exhibition curated by Barbara London, Valentino Catricalá and Eva Fabbris

Sheldon Harnick, 'Fiddler on the Roof' lyricist, dies at 99

Bonhams is market leader in Asian art in UK & Europe for the first half of 2023

Frank Frazetta's 'Dark Kingdom' sells for $6 million to rule the record books at Heritage Auctions

Exhibition explores the intersection of video and music by today's leading contemporary artists

Spectacular Amazonite from Colorado's Smoky Hawk Mine dazzles at Heritage

National Portrait Gallery introduces new sustainable uniforms designed by Wayne Hemingway

Rose B. Simpson: Counterculture now open at the Whitney

Dreaming California: High End, Low End, No End in Sight by Susan Ressler, by Daylight Books now released

Paul Reed exhibition opened earlier this month at the Oaklahoma City Museum of Art

Cleon Peterson's first exhibition in Paris 'Cruelty' now on view at Over the Influence

Summer exhibitions now on view at Ballroom Marfa

Now open: Karyn Olivier 'How A Home Is Made' at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York

PICA announces 2024 Judy Wheeler Commission artist Diana Baker Smith

PhillipsX Presents 'The Deep End: Works by Vivian Springford'

The Best Yoga School in Bali: A Journey to Self-Discovery




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful