Dress and Textiles, North West England: Artists and Subjects, Portraits: British 18th C 5 Can we clarify the identity of the sitter Hester Heywood and who painted her?

Miss Hester Heywood
Topic: Artist

The traditional identity of the sitter and painter of this portrait are open to doubt. It clearly cannot be Hester, or 'Nessy', Heywood, the second daughter of Deemster Peter John Heywood and Elizabeth Spedding, born at the Nunnery, near Douglas, Isle of Man, in 1768. There was an earlier Hester Heywood (1718–1789), daughter of Robert Reeves, a merchant from Cork, who married Thomas Heywood (1698–1759) of the distinguished Isle of Man family in 1738. Thomas was Speaker (then called 'Chairman') of the House of Keys from 1738–1758. If this portrait is of Hester then it cannot have been painted earlier than about 1735, most likely c.1738, long after Peter Lely's death. The lady's dress may also date from around the 1730s. [Group Leader: Manto Psarelli]

Andrew Greg, British 19th C, except portraits, Entry reviewed by Art UK

5 comments

The Collection have commented: ‘Note from our Curator, Matthew Richardson in 2015: There is likely to be some confusion here between Mrs Hester Heywood (died 1789) the grandmother of Peter Heywood of the Bounty, his aunt Hester, and his sister Nessy (also christened Hester). If the portrait is of Hester Heywood the aunt, she is recorded as having married at Braddan in 1768 and this provides an approximate date for the portrait. In any event the portrait is unlikely to be by Lely who died in 1680. Our Curators of Art and Social History have not discovered anything more about this portrait, since the assertion was made in 2015 that it is not by Lely. If Art UK wish to start a discussion that is fine, perhaps someone may be able to offer comment on the style of dress, which may clarify the date.'

Jacinto Regalado,

This is either a copy or the work of a provincial artist. Lou Taylor should be consulted as to dating based on dress and hair, but it looks earlier than 1730s to me, more like c. 1720.

Jacinto Regalado,

In case it is not clear, the reference to Lely is due to a former attribution or association of this picture to him, implausible though that was. It is rather common for early 18th C pictures to be wrongly connected to him, or it was in the past.

Lou Taylor, Dress and Textiles,

The sitter in this portrait is wearing 'artistic' dress, with its loose fabric, simple low V neck filled with plain ruffles and wide open-ended sleeves. Such styles were worn for long periods of time. This makes the portrait harder to date- but perhaps it explains the close similarity of the dress and hair style in Marcie's portrait by John Smibert of Hannah Gardiner of 1732 to that of my first example: Mrs Haire by Michael Dahl, some 30 years earlier in 1701, Tate, no. T06499 if both are correctly dated. https://bit.ly/3prztNX

Please see other examples:
- A Lady in the circle of Michael Dahl, c.1710, 1stDibs website
https://bit.ly/3rF3Zq3
- Anne Blackett-Mrs-John Trenchard, c. 1723, by Maria Verelst, Philip Mould and Co. https://bit.ly/337OU6x

Women's fashionable dress 1700-c.1730 consisted of a heavy silk mantua, sometimes tied to the back and cut open down the length of the centre front, worn with a stomacher and an underskirt. Sleeves were elbow length, quite fitted and with pleated cuffs at the elbow. That style in various forms was still being worn in the 1730s. Please see:
- c.1708, mantua dress, silk, MET. NY no 1991.6.1 https://bit.ly/3oqO7pi
-1720, silk V and A no T.88-1978 jpg https://bit.ly/2ZYHb9r
- c.1730 Mantua-Dress-England-V and A no T.324&A-1985. https://bit.ly/3IrPHPU

In contrast to the 'artistic dresses’, which are usually plain, the above examples are made of the most beautiful patterned silk, from Spitalfields.

My guess would be that this portrait is c.1710–1725.

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