Portrait of Jane ‘Jenny’ Myddelton as a Shepherdess

Code: H150

Dimensions:

Henri Gascar was a French-born portrait painter who achieved artistic success in England during the reign of Charles II. He painted many leading ladies at court, including several of the King’s mistresses, before returning to Paris. He subsequently relocated to Rome, where he died in 1701.

‘Jane ‘Jenny Myddelton, Mrs May (1661-1740) Daughter of Charles Myddelton and his wife Jane Myddelton, Jane, known as Jenny, was baptised on 21st November 1661 at Lambeth parish church. Her mother and a friend, Elizabeth, Lady Harvey, appear to have made a serious attempt at promoting Jenny as a new mistress for the King in June-July 1678.

The plan did not succeed. In the 1690s, Jenny lived with her aunt, Frances Needham, in St Albans and was involved in looking after the daughters of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. She married Charles May, nephew of Baptist May, of Frant, Sussex, in 1711, and died in June 1740.’