William Gillies RSA
Portrait of Margory Porter 1, c.1935
Oil on canvas
127.5 x 57 cm (sight)
143.2 x 72 cm (frame)
143.2 x 72 cm (frame)
From the RSA Collection
This portrait is of Marjery [Margory] Porter. The niece of Samuel J Peploe, she died of meningitis in 1948. The pink, or carnation, Margery holds shows Gillies’ use of symbolism....
This portrait is of Marjery [Margory] Porter. The niece of Samuel J Peploe, she died of meningitis in 1948. The pink, or carnation, Margery holds shows Gillies’ use of symbolism. The pink can stand for marriage, engagement, or a mother’s love. It feels playful, but it may have meant something more. Gillies painted three portraits of Margery, but exhibited none of them. This was very unlike Gillies in the 1930s.
