Mary Gwyn (née Horneck)

This portraitback to top

An accomplished but unsigned portrait, sold as Edridge in 1943, when the attribution was accepted by Carl Winter. [1] The head compares closely with the portrait of Mrs Gwyn by Hoppner engraved in 1791, though apparently rather older.

Footnotesback to top

1) Letter of 21 July 1943 (NPG archive). V. J. Murrell later tentatively suggested Downman.

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark eyes, grey powdered hair, wearing a thin black neckband and a white dress.

Provenanceback to top

[Possibly the unattributed miniature in a blue enamel locket, set with diamonds, in the Miss Gwyn sale, Christie’s, 29 June 1889, lot 19]; anon. sale, Sotheby’s, 6 May 1943, lot 104, bought H. J. Parker, from whom purchased 1943.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

View all known portraits for Mary Gwyn (née Horneck)