This week (10 February 2006) two portraits by one of Britain's best-loved artists, Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), will go on show at Duff House Country Gallery, Banff. The pictures are on long-term loan from the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. The full-length canvases depict Mr and Mrs Robert Thistlethwayte and were painted, shortly after Gainsborough's exquisite portrait of The Honourable Mrs Graham in 1778. The portraits will also be on display with the stunning portrait of Daisy Grant by Sir Francis Grant, painted in 1857 and recently acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland. Duff House is a partner gallery of the National Galleries of Scotland.
Rachel Kennedy, General Manager of Duff House said, "This new loan from our Partner organisation, the National Galleries of Scotland, is just so exciting. It means people living in the north east who may not be able to visit Edinburgh now have the opportunity to see works by an artist of international stature. The portraits look wonderful in our eighteenth-century setting and I think visitors will really enjoy looking at them."
In 1774 Gainsborough moved from Bath to London where he became one of the most admired artists in Britain and the principal rival of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Robert Thistlethwayte was the eldest son of the Revd Robert Thistlethwayte of the Thistlethwayte family of Southwick Park in Hampshire and the brother of the Countess of Chesterfield. From 1780 to 1790 he served as MP for Hampshire after marrying his wealthy cousin Selina Frederick in 1778.
The companion portraits of Robert and Selina were probably commissioned to commemorate their marriage. However, their marriage eventually ended in separation. While Robert Thistlethwayte is portrayed as a country gentleman dressed for hunting, his new bride Selina inhabits a more idealised landscape reminiscent of contemporary stage sets.
For further information of images please contact the National Galleries of Scotland Press Office on 0131 624 6325/314/332/247 or pressinfo@nationalgalleries.org
