Sophie Ploeg - Identity and Dress

About

In 2013 Sophie won the BP Travel Award at the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award exhibition.  She used the award to research 17th century portraiture and was fascinated by the incredibly detailed representation of rich fabrics and lace.

Created for The Harley Gallery, her new works are inspired by the early history of Welbeck and the Cavendish family in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They depict various luxurious fabrics and embellishments such as velvet, lace and embroidery which could only be afforded by the social elite. The magnificent nature of these materials meant they were often the focus within portraits, rather than the sitters themselves.