Mothering Sunday was once the day on which people would visit their “mother” church but has now become an occasion for honouring the mothers of children and giving them presents.
This year it will be celebrated on Sunday 26th March and we pay tribute to the love of mothers everywhere by examining this charming portrait by Sir William Nicholson. Visitors to Standen House often complement their visit with a leisurely stroll around the recently renovated 12-acre hillside garden. It was inspired by the arts and crafts movement and designed in part by Margaret Field, the subject of this intriguing portrait.
Sir William Nicholson was commissioned in 1905 to paint portraits of James Beale and his wife Margaret Field, most likely to commemorate their silver wedding anniversary. Curiously, the two works were not designed to be hung together and stylistically look quite different. Nicholson only started concentrating on painting after the turn of the century after encouragement by the artist James McNeill Whistler, a decision which brought him a successful and highly lucrative career. Prior to Whistler’s mentoring, Nicholson’s efforts had been focused on book illustration and graphic design. This portrait of Margaret pays homage to Whistler’s most successful work, Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1, better known as Whistler’s Mother.
At first glance, this portrait appears to share the formality of Whistler’s Mother. Margaret is pictured with neat hair and formal clothes; her pose appears prim and proper. There is little in the way of background which might otherwise distract the viewer from the subject. Yet she is engrossed in her crocheting, indifferent to the presence of the artist or viewer. Crocheting was an interest Margaret maintained throughout her life and as her expression demonstrates, it was a relaxing moment during what must have been brief moments of time when raising seven children.
This painting can be seen at Standen House and Garden, East Grinstead, West Sussex, open daily until December.
Image © National Trust Images
Why you should see this painting: This charming picture serves as a tribute to one of the most famous ever maternal portraits and to the unconditional love of a mother of seven.
First published in Sussex Life March 2017
Michael Escolme 