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Portrait of Margaret Graham, Lady Napier (d. 1626)

Portrait by Adam de Colone of Margaret Graham, Lady Napier (1626). Portrait by Adam de Colone of Margaret Graham, Lady Napier (1626). Courtesy Scottish National Portrait Gallery, acc. no. PG 2608.

The portrait of Margaret Graham, Lady Napier, is by the Dutch/Scottish artist, Adam de Colone (c. 1572-1651). He worked in the London and Edinburgh courts in the early seventeenth century and made various portraits of Scottish nobility. These portraits include two of Margaret Graham, sister of the 1st Marquess of Montrose and wife of the First Lord Napier (c. 1576-1645). She died shortly after the portrait was made, in 1626.

In this portrait, which measures 109.30 x 81 cm, she is depicted wearing a black gown with long, slashed sleeves. She is also wearing fine reticella style lace on her ruff, partlet and sleeve cuffs. Just visible through the slashes of her sleeves, and in deliberate contrast to the colour of her gown, there are her grey silk undersleeves that are embroidered with multi-coloured flowers, including roses. The edges of her black stomacher are decorated with multi-coloured lines, but it is not clear from the painting if these were embroidered or woven bands. Pinned to her collar is a diamond and pearl ornament representing a pelican feeding her young.

The portrait is now on display in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh (acc. no. PG 2608).

Scottish National Portrait Gallery online catalogue (retrieved 5 June 2016).

GMV

 

Last modified on Sunday, 13 November 2016 17:44