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(Baptised Barrow, Suffolk, 26 March 1633; buried London, 8 October 1699). English portrait painter, active in London, where she moved in intellectual circles. She was the daughter of a clergyman and many of her portraits are of churchmen. She was in considerable demand at the peak of her career, in the 1670s. Much of our knowledge of her work comes from notebooks kept by her husband recording sitters, payments, and other information; they provide a fascinating insight into contemporary artistic practice. A son, Charles (1660–1714?), was mainly a miniaturist.
Text source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)
Artworks by Mary Beale
John Wilkins (1614–1672)Mary Beale (1633–1699)
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Isaac Barrow (1630–1677), Master (1673–1677), Mathematician and TheologianMary Beale (1633–1699)
Trinity College, University of Cambridge
Portrait of a BoyMary Beale (1633–1699)
Victoria and Albert Museum
Thomas FountayneMary Beale (1633–1699)
Temple Newsam House, Leeds Museums and Galleries
Judith SibthorpMary Beale (1633–1699)
Usher Gallery
The Honourable John Talbot, Younger Brother of Charles, Duke and 12th Earl of Shrewsbury (1664–1685/1686)Mary Beale (1633–1699)