Lady Frances Vaughan Painting

At first glance, this is a striking 17th‑century portrait of Lady Frances Vaughan (c.1621–1650), who became the second wife of Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery. Their family home was Gelli Aur (Golden Grove) near Llandeilo.

But for many years, the biggest mystery wasn’t who was painted — it was who painted her.

Rescued paintings, hidden stories

Almost four decades ago, Carmarthenshire Museum staff discovered that portraits still hanging on the walls of Gelli Aur mansion (near Llandeilo) were in poor condition after water had leaked onto them from a skylight. The works were rescued, and in 1985 Carmarthenshire County Council purchased 21 paintings for the Museum, including those of the Earl and Countess of Carbery.

Later, the portrait of the Earl was attributed to Sir Peter Lely, a renowned court painter. However, the portrait of Lady Frances was attributed to an "unknown artist".

The BBC investigation that changed everything

In 2017, the BBC Four programme Britain’s Lost Masterpieces examined the paintings using research, restoration, and scientific analysis. Experts concluded that Lady Frances was almost certainly painted by a woman—the talented portrait artist Mary Beale.

This was significant because, for centuries, it was assumed that a woman could not produce work of such quality, and some of Beale’s paintings were incorrectly attributed to male artists such as Lely.

Who was Mary Beale?

Born in rural Suffolk in 1633, Mary Beale taught herself oil painting and moved to London while still young. She received no academy training, guild support, or royal patronage—yet she built a career through skill, determination, and word-of-mouth.

After marrying Charles Beale in 1652, Mary’s success grew to the point where Charles became her studio manager—an unusual arrangement at the time. By the 1670s she was in high demand, and Charles’s notebooks recorded sitters and payments, offering us a rare glimpse into an artist's working life.

Come and see the portrait in person at Carmarthenshire Museum—and meet one of Britain’s most important early professional artists, rediscovered through careful detective work.