Following on from the display of Monet’s artwork, The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil (1872), The National Gallery announced recently that the second painting which will be the focus of the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour 2025-27 is The Marquise de Seignelay (1691) by Pierre Mignard. It will travel to the four partner institutions between 2026 and 2027: South Shields Museum and Art Gallery (29 Aug – 8 Nov 2026); The Cooper Gallery, Barnsley (13 Nov 2026 – 20 Feb 2027); Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool (27 Feb – 5 June 2027), and Ferens Art Gallery, Hull (11 June – 5 Sept 2027).
Mignard depicts the recently widowed Catherine-Thérèse de Goyon de Matignon-Thorigny, Marquise de Seignelay (1662-99), as a woman of cultural and international importance. She is portrayed as the sea-goddess Thetis, while her eldest son Marie-Jean Baptiste (1683-1712) is dressed as the Greek hero Achilles – Thetis’ son by the mortal Peleus. Her sumptuous robe is painted using ultramarine, a highly expensive blue pigment, as a show of her wealth and status. The extensive marine imagery references her late husband, the Marquis de Seignelay’s position as head of the French Navy. The landscape in the background likely represents the shores of Martinique, an island in the West Indian ocean which was purchased for the French crown by the Marquise’s late father-in-law in 1664.
National Gallery Director Sir Gabriele Finaldi said: ‘The National Gallery’s collection belongs to all of us. It is part of our duty and our honour to look after these paintings and to bring them to where people are, not just expect them to come to us. Partnering on touring exhibitions does so much more than bring beloved paintings from the collection to other places in the UK – it supports the whole country’s cultural ecosystem, connects people with paintings that belong to us all, and allows us to learn and expand our own practices and interpretations through the creativity of our partner organisations and their communities. That over one million people have visited these exhibitions in the last decade proves the desire to engage with our collection is growing, and we look forward to welcoming the next million visitors across the UK.’ North East Museums Director, Keith Merrin said: ‘We’re delighted to be part of the next chapter of the Masterpiece Tour and to welcome this extraordinary painting to South Shields Museum & Art Gallery. Bringing a work of this significance to our communities reflects the shared commitment between partners to making world-class art accessible, relevant and inspiring. Since the launch of the Masterpiece Tour on 17 January, when the museum welcomed Monet’s The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil (1872), footfall to the museum has increased by over 70%, highlighting the strong appetite for high-quality art experiences amongst our community.’
For more information: northeastmuseums.org.uk/southshieldsmuseum
Friends of the Hatton 