The work selected for the second year of the 2025–27 tour is Mignard's The Marquise de Seignelay.
In this striking portrait Mignard brings together classical and contemporary references to present the recently widowed Catherine-Thérèse, Marquise de Seignelay (1662–1699) as a woman of cultural and international importance. She is depicted as the sea-goddess Thetis, while her son Marie-Jean Baptiste (1683 – 1712) is dressed as the Greek hero Achilles – Thetis’ son by the mortal Peleus (Pelée in French). Her sumptuous robe is painted using ultramarine, a highly expensive blue pigment, as a show of her fortune and power.
The extensive marine imagery subtly references her late husband’s position as head of the French Navy, while it has recently been suggested that the background represents the shores of Martinique, an island in the West Indian ocean which was purchased for the French crown by the late Marquis’ father in 1664
Every year, the National Gallery partners with organisations and audiences across the UK to ensure that everyone in Britain can engage with their national collection.
The Masterpiece Tour 2025–27 is a partnership between the National Gallery, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich; South Shields Museum and Art Gallery; Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull and Cooper Gallery, Barnsley who work together to select and display a painting from the National Gallery in exhibitions which offer new ways for audiences across the UK to experience the painting.
Specialist insurer, Hiscox, is proud to support
The National Gallery 2025–27 Masterpiece Tour
