Beale, Mary (1632–1699)

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Beale, Mary (1632–1699)

English portrait painter and miniaturist whose works have often been confused with those of Sir Peter Lely and other noted painters. Born Mary Cradock in Suffolk, England, in 1632; died in 1699 (some sources cite 1697); daughter of a minister and amateur artist; married Charles Beale; children: two sons, including Charles Beale (an artist).

The daughter of a minister and amateur painter, Mary Beale was born in Suffolk, England, in 1632. It is believed her first art lessons were given by her father's friend Robert Walker, who was a painter of Thomas Cromwell. Beale also studied with Thomas Flatman, a lawyer, poet, and miniaturist. Although it is not known whether she was actually a student of Sir Peter Lely, he did allow her to copy from his personal art collection, one of the largest in London at the time.

After her marriage to cloth manufacturer Charles Beale, she began her professional apprenticeship. While her husband managed the household, which included two infant sons, and the mechanics of her career by preparing her canvases and mixing her colors, she established herself as an independent artist, working out of a studio in Covent Garden. Her portraits in pastels, watercolor, and oils were much in demand, and many of the city's most prominent people sat for her. Beale also gained popularity for her portraits of children. Her husband's diaries, which extensively catalogued her work, indicate that she was prolific and earned a substantial income.

As described by Nancy Heller , Beale posed her subjects in the standard style of the day: "half-length seated figures" sat "against dark backgrounds, their eyes fixed on the viewer." But she was highly praised for her use of color, as is apparent in Germaine Greer 's description of a Beale self-portrait: "The colours are warm and harmonious, the skin tones fresh without being voluptuous." As a companion piece, Beale produced a portrait of her husband, which Greer describes as "remarkable in the sense of domestic sensuality that it conveys."

In 1665, just before the Great Plague, the Beales left London, returning in 1670 to a house on Pall Mall. Beale's career flourished until around 1680, when Lely's death and changing styles caused her popularity to dwindle. During this late period, she did numerous copies of Lely's work, as well as her own, which may have ultimately caused the confusion surrounding her original paintings.

Beale taught both of her sons to paint portraits. Her son Charles had a successful career as an artist, while her eldest son became a doctor. Another of her students, Sarah Curtis , also became a noted portraitist.