Portrait of a Lady

This drawing is related to a series of drawings (Langdale nos. 50, 51, 195-8) that Cecily Langdale has suggested may depict Maude Boughton-Leigh (see note to lot 7). Langdale comments, 'Maude Boughton-Leigh (circa 1881-1945), called Grilda, was a friend of Gwen John in Paris and was herself an artist. Her sister Chloe is the subject of three paintings by Gwen and a number of drawings. Gwen John's drawings of 'a lady' and of Chloe Boughton-Leigh date from much the same period and are closely related stylistically. There is a notably strong resemblance between the two sitters: they have similar heavy-lidded eyes, high-arched brows, full lips and broad-based noses ... These drawings have sometimes wrongly been called self portraits' (see Langdale, op. cit, p. 194).