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Mary Smyth Hunter 1857–1933
Known for her exuberant personality and extravagant generosity, Mary Smyth Hunter attracted many artists, musicians, and writers to the lavish parties she hosted at her London residence and country estate. She dedicated much of her husband's coal mining fortune to art patronage. Her collection included works by Paul Helleu, Claude Monet, and Auguste Rodin, along with several of Sargent's Venetian watercolors.
Hunter, who became one of Sargent's closest friends, served as the model for two of his paintings and at least three of his drawings. The artist also designed a costume for one of Hunter's theatrical roles. This portrait has an experimental quality, with brisk strokes of charcoal that suggest, rather than define, the fur collar and feathered hat. The markmaking also conveys the subject's remarkable vivacity. Hunter's sister, Ethel Smyth (whose portrait hangs in an adjacent gallery), described her sibling as exuding "that sense of enjoying life to the utmost."
Charcoal on paper, c. 1904
Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, New York; gift of James O. Belden in memory of Evelyn Berry Belden
This is the National Portrait Gallery sign in the exhibit. |