This early 17th-century English School portrait depicts Thomas Stanley wearing a striking red velvet suit, white cravat and powdered periwig. Fashionable, yet elegantly refined. On the reverse, a partially legible label refers to the Wrightington Estate, where the portrait was hung.

In the top left, an inscription refers to Meliora Gomeldon, who became Thomas’ wife in 1710, having been married previously to James Poole. It’s interesting that during her first marriage, she sat for John Vandervaart (1653-1727) and the resulting portrait is inscribed in a similar way to ours. It refers to both marriages, so it’s presumably a later inscription, added by descendants. You may notice that country house portrait collections often bear later inscriptions, following a cataloguing exercise.

Thomas was born in 1687 in the sleepy Lancastrian village of St Michael on Wyre. Following his marriage to Meliora, the pair had two children, Meliora and Richard. Their daughter married William Dicconson of Wrightington, which explains the connection with the Wrightington Estate.

Stylistically, it’s influenced by the oeuvre of popular Swedish portrait painter, Michael Dahl (1659-1743), who worked extensively in England.

Held in a period frame, which is probably original.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 30½” x 36” / 78cm x 91cm
Year of creation: c. 1715
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed in the top left.
Provenance: Meliora Dicconson of Wrightington / Private collection, USA.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Faint stretcher marks. Fine craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. One patched repair. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Our reference: BRV2189