Kate Lowry noted (February 2018): In this half-length portrait Anne Owen is posed full face with her head tilted slightly sideways to the right against a greenish grey background within a painted roundel, similar to that found in her brother Richard's portrait (P27). The current owner has related how the Ynysymaengwyn portraits were rescued from outhouses behind the mansion in 1952. A 1950s restoration was badly done and involved a lot of overpaint. The owner has since had further overpaint dating from a restoration of c. 2000-1 largely removed.
Support: A medium weight simple weave linen canvas which has been relined onto a similar weight canvas and stretched onto a seven-member pine stretcher with square mortice joints and provision for keying out. The lining may date from the restoration carried out in the 1950s. Original turnovers were removed at the time of lining and the work attached to the stretcher with tacks through the lining turnovers. These are covered by paper tape. The lining and attachment are in excellent condition and the canvas is well in plane. There are no obvious signs of old damages or tears to the original canvas.
A label hand-written in ink on the lower stretcher member reads: 'Anne, daughter of Anne Owen | wife of Pryce Maurice of Lloran'. The style of the writing suggests the label predates the twentieth-century restoration of the painting.
Ground: The canvas has a smooth, grey, oil ground which was probably commercially prepared. This ground layer is clearly visible in the face around the mouth and nose, as well as at the left-hand hairline. The eyes which are relatively undamaged show the characteristic modelling and highlighting found in Wilson's portraits and the use of the exposed grey ground as part of the modelling on the nose and lips is also characteristic of his style.
Surface layers: Some of the dark brown overpaint has recently been removed from the hair.
Since the report above P226 has been conserved by Annabelle Monaghan and the attribution to Wilson confirmed.
