About this artwork

This tender and informal portrait of his second wife illustrates Ramsay's mature style, following his second visit to Italy (1754-57). He captures beautifully the fall of light on her face and on the pretty lace and fabrics of her clothes. She holds one of the flowers she was arranging in their London home as she turns towards her husband and looks out to meet our gaze. The couple had eloped in 1752 and married in the Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh. Margaret was never forgiven by her father, Sir Alexander Lindsay of Evelick, Perthshire, for marrying what he considered a lowly, albeit highly successful, artist.

Updated before 2020

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Allan Ramsay

Allan Ramsay