First time in 250 years, a Sir Joshua Reynolds portrait has been removed from Saltram's saloon.
Sir Reynolds' painting Mrs. John Parker is on display at The Box museum as part of a celebration of his 300th birthday.
It is one of two paintings being loaned by a National Trust location in Devon, and Saltram has loaned a Lynette Yiadom-Boakye piece in exchange.
The Box's CEO, Victoria Pomery, expressed her company's "delight" in the undertaking.
Theresa Parker's imposing portrait by Saltram is the first painting visitors see when they enter the exhibition, and it looks stunning after conservation, she continued. ".
Along with Reynold's portrait of Florentine engraver Francesco Bartolozzi, the Hon. Theresa Parker, a designer and patron of the arts, has been loaned to The Box.
Both have since been included in the exhibition Reframing Reynolds: A Celebration.
According to the National Trust, this is the first time since Reynolds' full-length portrait of his patron and friend Theresa Parker was finished and displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1733 that it has been on display somewhere other than Saltram's Saloon, the location for which it was commissioned. ".
In exchange, Saltram To Tell Them Where It's Got To has been lent by The Box.
The National Trust stated that Ms. Yiadom-Boakye's inspiration for her work came from "invented people created from found images and her imagination.".
"We hope that visitors to Saltram House will enjoy drawing connections between Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's paintings and the other historic paintings it is displayed alongside," Ms. Pomery continued. Recently, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye has won widespread praise for her paintings. " .
From 24 June to 29 October 2023, The Box will be on display.
In 2024, Saltram will receive the Theresa Parker portrait back.
