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Detail from Unknown Woman (NCMA.67.13.7) at the North Carolina Museum of Art |
The painting itself is stunning, a work worthy of a queen. In fact, the whole Elizabethan collection in North Carolina is incredible, and I strongly suspect many of the sitters are of royal blood. Some of them also appear to be world-famous explorers, but they are all currently unidentified.
This post will compare the unknown sitter to Mary Sidney Herbert, a fine poet and art patron whose contributions to the Elizabethan zeitgeist cannot be overstated. Some scholars claim she wrote the works of Shakespeare.
And here is a link to my post comparing this unknown sitter to Mary Queen of Scots.
Obviously all the images here are used for educational purposes.
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Above: NCMA Unknown & Mary Sidney by Nicholas Hilliard (NPG London 5994) |
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Above: Unknown (NCMA) & Mary Sidney-Stipple_engraving_Wellcome_V0004586 |
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Above left to right: Mary Sidney by Gheeraerts the Younger (image from artnet.com); Unknown (NCMA); &Mary_Sidney-Stipple_engraving_image via Wellcome_V0004586 |
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Above: NPG D27993 Mary Sidney after Simon de Passe & Unknown (NCMA) |
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Above: details of two hands from NCMA's Unknown Woman. |
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Above: detail hands Mary Sidney by Gheeraerts the Younger (image from artnet.com) |
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Above: detail hand from NPG D27993 Mary Sidney after Simon de Passe |
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Above: Mary Sidney, artist unknown, image from alchetron.com (left) & Unknown (NCMA) |
Above: Called Mary Scudamore by Gheeraerts the Younger (left, NPG64, London) an our unknown woman NCMA
There are, I should mention, at least still existing portraits that show Mary Herbert wearing the French hood seen in the portrait of the unknown woman.
Above: Mary Sideny from the Fricke Collection (via Pin-interest)
Below: Mary Sidney by James Tuck (after Harding) via Wikimedia
Note: There is another woman the sitter greatly resembles. Anyone who is a fan of Mary Queen of Scots (see below image) will recognize her trademark outfit being worn by the unknown woman in North Carolina. I will put up another post soon exploring the possibility that this unknown woman might be Mary Queen of Scots. ![]() |
Mary Queen of Scots by Nicholas Hilliard (image via Bridgeman Images) |
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