Two portraits commissioned by Saltram’s Parker family displayed together for the first time

Two exceptional portraits of Theresa Parker, who lived at Saltram from 1769 until her death at the age of only 35 in 1775, are on display together for the first time. Painted by celebrated artists Joshua Reynolds and Angelica Kauffman, the portraits can be seen at the National Trust’s Saltram, in Devon, until the end of June. 

Joshua Reynolds’ portrait of The Hon. Theresa Robinson, Mrs John Parker (1773) is one of his great works. Shown for the first time at Saltram since its conservation at the National Trust’s Conservation Studio at Knole last year, prior to going on loan to The Box Plymouth. Work to conserve the painting will feature in series two of the BBC’s ‘Hidden Treasures of the National Trust’, now available on BBC iPlayer. 

Rehung in the Saloon, architect and designer Robert Adam’s finest room, the portrait is shown with a new film which shares the conservation process and significance of the painting. The portrait was commissioned specifically to hang in the Adam Saloon.  

The Parker family of Saltram, close to Plympton where Joshua Reynolds was born, had an especially close and lifelong friendship with him. He painted them on numerous occasions and purchased art for them on the Continent. 

Theresa and John Parker and Reynolds also enjoyed a close friendship with Angelica Kauffman, one of the most celebrated artists of the late 18th century, described by a contemporary as ‘the most cultivated woman in Europe.’ 

John Parker met Kauffman in Italy in 1764 where she painted his portrait. A year later she moved to London where their friendship and his patronage of her art continued on his marriage to Theresa. Saltram cares for the largest in situ collection of paintings by Kauffman in the UK, including her six groundbreaking classical and British mythological history paintings, the first pictures she showed at the Royal Academy. 

Kauffman’s portrait of Theresa Parker was commissioned by Parker herself as a gift for her friend Lady Pelham. The portrait is on loan from a private collection and is being shown in public for the first time in this country.  

The small full-length depiction of Theresa is intimate in scale and shows her in fashionable Turkish dress. The portrait representing Theresa’s love for her friend contrasts the portrait by Reynolds, which was commissioned for public display at the Royal Academy in 1773, and as a companion for another large historical family portrait in the Saloon.  

Parker was born in Vienna, the daughter of the 1st Baron Grantham who was British Ambassador there. Her godmother was the Empress Maria Theresa, after whom she was named. So she certainly brought an air of European class with her to Saltram. 

The two portraits of Theresa Parker have added poignance as Theresa sadly died in 1775 at the age of only 35. Reynolds was the one to write her obituary, again, a testament to their friendship and his respect of her artistic knowledge and sensibility. 

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to see these two portraits of Theresa Parker at Saltram, even more so as they haven’t been publicly displayed together before,” Zoe Shearman, Property Curator at Saltram says. “They are very significant examples of 18th century portraiture and are an interesting contrast of portraits for public display, such as the Reynolds, or private contemplation, such as the Kauffman. Furthermore, they are a real reflection of the friendship between Reynolds, Kauffman and the Parker family and it’s a great privilege to be able to show them together.”  

Kauffman and Reynolds’ portraits of Theresa Parker are on display at Saltram until the end of June and can be viewed in the house daily 11am-4.30pm.  

The Hon. Theresa Robinson, Mrs John Parker by Joshua Reynolds was accepted in lieu of estate duty by HM Government in 1956 and is on loan to the National Trust for Saltram. 

Theresa Robinson Parker by Angelica Kauffman is on loan from a private collection.