Circle of Mary Beale (British 1632-1697) Portrait of a young girl with a King Charles spaniel Oil on canvas 106 x 84cm (41½ x 33 in.) Provenance: By repute with Sir Robert Peel, Drayton Manor Park, Staffordshire (according to information from the late Rodney Gausden) With the Tolson Gausden family, Dosthill Hall, near Tamworth (since 1850) Thence by descent to the present owner The present painting of an attractive young girl is most probably a marriage piece as was often done by the great families of the time. As such, the composition contains important symbolism. The girl is dressed in the finest red which denoted wealth, a triple string of pearls (each pearl the value of a house), a valuable King Charles spaniel on her lap and a casual hand pointing to a vase of tulips, which would have been immensely expensive at this time. All these elements show they could afford such lavish throw away things along with the family house in the background, which is believed by the current owners, to be Drayton Manor before the tower was built. Such a painting, demonstrating the family wealth that the daughter would bring to a marriage, would then be circulated round all the great and wealthy families to show what was on offer and what she could bring to the right suitor.