Once, twice, three times a Lady

The Great Picture, a triptych or three-sectioned format typically reserved for religious works, represents the family history of Lady Anne, who was born at Skipton Castle in 1590, the daughter of Margaret Russell and George Clifford, third Earl of Cumberland.

It hung in Appleby Castle, in Cumbria, for more than 300 years. It is thought an inferior copy of the painting hung in Skipton Castle that was later destroyed.

The painting was bought in 1981 by the Lakeland Arts Trust to hang at Appleby but that later closed to the public and plans were put in place for it to be displayed at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, in Kendal, Cumbria. However the central panel was difficult to fit into the Georgian building and it has largely remained in storage.

But this week a team of curators, technicians and joiners, were on hand to lift the central panel, which measures over 9ft x 9ft, through a window and place it in a refurbished display area, meaning it can go on display in its entirety for the first time at Abbot Hall.

A new interpretation of the triptych and information on Lady Anne will set the stage for this imposing work to be enjoyed by the public in its complete state, as it was meant to be seen.

A spokesman for Lakeland Arts Trust said: “The triptych contains a wealth of fascinating symbols and references which provide unique insights into the culture of the 17th century.

The Trust is delighted that this extraordinary painting will be displayed as a whole at Abbot Hall for the first time in its history.”

The costs are being helped with by author and historian Mary Burkett, who was director of the Trust when they acquired the picture.

She said: “Lady Anne Clifford was a woman of so many qualities with a huge historical influence on literature, art and archaeology. She set an example in how she looked after her staff and properties. She was a real star.”

The triptych tells the extraordinary life story of Lady Anne.

Her father, a favourite at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, died in 1605, leaving all his estates not to Lady Anne, his only surviving heir, but to his brother, Francis, who became the fourth Earl of Cumberland.

The redoubtable and determined Lady Anne, countess of Pembroke, Dorset and Montgomery (1590-1676), spent much of her life in a long and complex legal battle to obtain the rights of her inheritance.

It was not until the death of Lady Anne’s uncle in 1641, followed two years later by his son, who left no male heirs, that Lady Anne finally inherited the estates in Westmorland and Yorkshire, which she regarded as her birthright.

Having spent many years petitioning for the return of her rightful inheritance, The Great Picture was commissioned by Lady Anne to celebrate the moment she finally regained it at the age of 56.

Two copies of the triptych were painted, most likely by the Dutch artist Jan van Belcamp.

Another version, which originally hung at Skipton Castle, had deteriorated badly over the years by the time it was ultimately destroyed in the 19th century.

After the Civil War, in 1649, when she was 60 years old, Lady Anne moved back to the North.

She spent the next 26 years of her life restoring the mostly neglected family castles at Skipton, Pendragon, Appleby, Brough and Brougham to their former glory.

Lady Anne also built some almshouses for poor widows in Appleby and restored several churches in the area.

Lady Anne died in 1676 at Brougham Castle, in Penrith, in the room where her father had been born.

The Appleby version which hangs at Abbot Hall, in Cumbria, has survived in a remarkable state of preservation.

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