Circle of Mary Beale

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 November 1994, lot 26 (as Mary Beale);

Where acquired by the uncle of the present owner;

Thence by descent.

Little is known today about Peter Beavis, but since the 16^th century, the senior line of the Beavis family had been lords of the manor of Clyst Satchville, Devon. A pair of portraits attributed to Beale, traditionally regarded as likenesses of Richard (1621–1702) and Margarett Beavis,¹ née Davie (1627–c. 1717) – Peter's parents – appeared for sale at Bonhams London in 2004.² The attribution of the pair, however, is not universally accepted. That the style and dimensions of these portraits are so comparable to the present example, particularly in their inclusion of painted stone cartouches and the use of a similar colour palette, suggests that all three pictures originated from the same series.

¹ It is possible that the female portrait instead depicts Richard's daughter of the same name.

² A pair, oil on canvas, each 78 x 65 cm.; London, Bonhams, 8 December 2004, lot 2.