Walter Frederick Osborne. The Guinness Portrait

In early 2023, Walter Frederick Osborne’s full-length portrait of Mary Guinness with her Daughter Margaret was presented as a heritage gift to the National Gallery of Ireland. Awarded a bronze medal at the Paris International Exhibition of 1900, this piece was executed when Osborne was at the height of his powers as a portrait painter, featuring exemplary draughtsmanship and management of tone, and outstanding skills in the rendering of contrasting textures.

The gift included two related works – a drawing in pencil and a medium-sized sketch in oils – as well as the original silk gown that Mary Guinness wears in the portrait and is one of the key elements of the exhibition.