Elizabeth (Jenks) Beaufoy, later Elizabeth Pycroft

The celebrated beauty Elizabeth Beaufoy wears the stiffly coiffed high-dressed hair then in fashion, ornamented with a strand of pearls. Gainsborough intended this painting to be enjoyed both up close and at a distance. Viewed at close range, the animated, unblended brushstrokes create the illusion of flickering movement. At a distance, the eye instinctively blends the roughly applied pigments into an overall unity.