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Artworks
William Gillies RSA
Portrait of Emma, 1921Oil on canvas76.2 x 63.8 cm (sight)
90 x 77 cm (frame)From the RSA CollectionThis portrait is of Gillies’ younger sister Emma. It has been called a gentle and pretty portrait, but behind it are family secrets. Emma had suffered abuse by her father,...This portrait is of Gillies’ younger sister Emma. It has been called a gentle and pretty portrait, but behind it are family secrets. Emma had suffered abuse by her father, and at the time he was either recently dead or dying just upstairs from where this portrait was painted. The hands and Emma’s gaze in particular draw us in.
