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Portrait of Mrs Mary Ann Blessley, shown half-length slightly to the left in a black silk dress with a lace bodice and wrist ruffles, and a flowered lace cap. Around her neck are red and white brocaded bands fastened with a gold brooch and her right hand holds a quizzing glass which is suspended on a gold chain also round her neck. The portrait was presented by a Mrs Gibbs in 1949 as 'Mrs Penelope Blessley' with one of the sitter's husband, William Blessley, master shipwright, of slightly earlier date (BHC2560). This one bears the signature 'Laken' but nothing further is known of this artist, presumably a provincial one in either the Plymouth or Portsmouth areas, given that these were where William Blessley worked in middle to later life. In November 2015 a descendant in the Blessley/Pine family produced information that William Blessley's wife was in fact named Mary Ann (nee Pine).
Title
Mrs Mary Ann Blessley
Date
1855
Medium
oil on canvas on board
Measurements
H 75.6 x W 60.8 cm
Accession number
BHC2561
Work type
Painting
