The Countess’ Dress
MLL71/390: Tan/gold taffeta. Shallow rounded neckline at back. Dress open all down front held by two wide buttoned flaps across chest giving a square neckline at front. Narrow cranked sleeves with tight buttoned cuffs. Stiffly pleated back bodice. Not boned. Also pleats under arm. Length - 149 cm. Period 1790s. History unknown.
‘Men’s memories are uncertain and the past that was differs little from the past that was not'.’ Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, p. 348.
A new past for the gold taffeta dress: the most interesting thing about this object, as with much of Lakeland' Art’s collection, is that it is an item which has no history, no story and is therefore an opportunity for reinvention; the creation of a past that was not. I intend to reference the Countess’ dress across several different artworks. Firstly, my portrait of the Countess of Sutherland after Romney. This will form the top half of a diptych. The lower half will exclusively feature the dress in full length. Inspired by Ramsay’s paintings of women with sumptuous fabrics, Whistler’s full length paintings I saw at the Hunterian Gallery and Louise Giovanelli’s painting ‘Wager’ (I love the light and mystery) . The top half isn’t really the Abbot Hall dress at all but rather a copy of the dress in Ramsay’s painting of Janet Shairp. I will also reference the dress in document 1/the letter of my Gleann Learaig audio/visual pieces. If I make a second version of this with video it will also feature there too. The letter, that James Mackay imagines writing to his sister upon his death bed, says that the Countess of Sutherland not only bought a yellow silken dress but paid to have her likeness painted in such a dress. In a way I am acting out the parts in this drama - taking the place of James Mackay in his dream by travelling to the Gleann Learaig sheiling grounds, alongside being the artist who directs the Countess to wear the yellow dress in her portrait so that he can paint it.
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