Name/Title
The Lady in RedEntry/Object ID
840.2.1Description
Mary Fraser Matheson (Robertson)
The image depicts a framed portrait of a woman with an elegant, traditional appearance, wearing a garment with a red color, set against a dark background; the frame is ornate with intricate details and a gold finish, suggesting a classical or historical style, and the overall tone of the painting is warm, with the woman looking poised and serene, her expression conveying a sense of calmness and grace, while the image conveys a sense of timeless elegance that is characteristic of portraiture from past centuries.
This is an early portrait and appears to be 18th century by the style. It belonged to the house originally, but its history, like the name of the artist, is unknown at the present time. It depicts a fair haired woman in a white silk gown with a red cloak draped over one shoulder, hence the common name for the portrait.
It has a dark background and the lower section of the picture is in very bad condition with much flaking and it even looks as though it might have been through a fire at one point in its life.
The frame is much later than the picture and is a curious affair, touched up with gilt paint and overlaid with netting, also painted gold, with fancy plaster ornamentation in the corners. Ideally, the frame should be an ebonized one with an inner gold leaf molding, now referred to as "Hogarth frames" to suit its date and style.
Circa: Mid eighteenth century or earlier.
It is believed the portrait is of his first wife Mary Frazer Robertson.