Sir John Berry and his lovely wife, Lady Berry

Welcome to the painting vault of Library and Archives Canada. My name is Eva Major-Marothy. I would like to introduce you to two marvelous portraits of Rear-Admiral Sir John Berry and his lovely wife, Lady Berry.

The tradition of a marriage portrait is being observed two people turned towards one another, the man on the left and the woman on the right. I think it is the Western way of reading from the left to the right. Let's have a look at the way they are looking at us: both of them, engaging our eyes. We could start a conversation with them. They are quite lively, committed or connected to us. They have fairly simple seventeenth-century clothing, but the artist has put some drapery on both Sir John and Lady Berry showing how skillful he was in handling paint.

Sir John Berry has a full wig on and a lace cravat and lace cuffs. Actually, these were not really stylish by the time this was being painted. So, we are looking at an older man who is not keeping up with the latest fashion. Lady Berry is in very simple clothing, and that was expected of gentlewomen in the seventeenth century. You might notice that she is almost in a déshabillé, partially undressed. That actually goes with the tradition of seventeenth-century female portraits, a kind of slight abandon in the way that you are dressed.

The other thing that I would like you to note is that Sir John is depicted outside. He is on kind of a rocky promontory with a bit of a suggestion of nature. The important thing is that there is a ship on his left. That ship is not just a detail or thrown in by the painter. Sir John Berry picks a particular event in his very eventful life to depict in this portrait. This ship is called The Resolution, and Sir John Berry commanded that ship in the Anglo-Dutch wars in 1672. There was a victorious battle at Sola Bay. And for that, he was knighted, which is why he is Sir John Berry. So, you can see if you only have one portrait done of you in your life, you are going to choose very carefully what kind of details you are going to put in there. So in that sense, we can identify with him. This is how he wants to be remembered. These portraits were a rare find, and we are very pleased that they are now both permanent residents of Canada.