A Family Picture: Henry and Mary Styleman

This portrait shows Henry and Mary Styleman of Snettisham Hall, Norfolk. Henry studied at Cambridge and later became Justice of the Peace and High Sheriff of Norfolk. The couple commissioned this portrait in 1780, the year of their marriage; it was completed in 1783. It depicts them in the landscape, Mary wearing a red riding outfit, accompanied by horses, groomsmen and dogs.

The painting is an extraordinary and unique collaboration between three leading eighteenth-century artists. The great portraitist Johann Zoffany, a favourite of King George III and Queen Charlotte, painted the figures of the Stylemans. The horses, grooms and hounds were painted by Sawrey Gilpin, who is considered one of the most talented horse painters of the eighteenth century. Finally, the background was painted by Joseph Farington, a great landscape painter and topographical draughtsman. The painting was exhibited as a group work by the three artists as early as 1783 and remained with the family until 1950.