Later Stuart Portraits Catalogue
Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester (1657-1717), Mistress of James II; wife of 1st Earl of Portmore; daughter of Sir Charles Sedley
- Gallery portraits
- All known portraits
- Biography and References
Only child of Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Bt.; maid of honour to the Duchess of York 1678-c.1681 and mistress of James, Duke of York; created Countess of Dorchester in her own right 1686; married 1696 General Sir David Colyear (created Earl of Portmore [S] 1703); a significant early patron of Kneller.
‘we are none of us handsome’, she said of James’s mistresses, ‘and if we had wit, he has not enough to discover it’ (Horace Walpole).
This extended catalogue entry is from the National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Later Stuart Portraits 1685-1714, National Portrait Gallery, 2009, 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.
‘we are none of us handsome’, she said of James’s mistresses, ‘and if we had wit, he has not enough to discover it’ (Horace Walpole).
This extended catalogue entry is from the National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Later Stuart Portraits 1685-1714, National Portrait Gallery, 2009, 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.