Portrait of Mary of Modena

This is a portrait of Mary of Modena (Maria Beatrice Anna Margharita Isabella d'Este) when she was Duchess of York. She was married by proxy to James, Duke of York (later James II), in her native city on 30 September 1673. When first told of her impending nuptials, she apparently burst in tears, not least because she had never met her future husband. Even more to the point, she wanted to become a nun, an occupation in which marriage does not figure highly.

The date of William Wissing's portrait lies sometime between the artist's arrival in England in 1676 and the Duchess' accession to the throne as Queen Consort in 1685. Wissing was frequently employed by James and painted several portraits of Mary, most of them following this pattern. Shown at half-length facing the spectator, Mary has her head turned slightly to the left, revealing a pearl earring and emphasising the string of pearls around her neck. Her long dark hair falls loose around her shoulders, conveying an impression of informality.