INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day is being marked by a stately home through a piece of art on loan from the National Portrait Gallery.

Beningbrough Hall, near Easingwold, has a new visiting portrait display on show, which includes a painting depicting the nine most influential women of the eighteenth century, entitled The Nine Living Muses of Great Britain by Richard Samuel.

Its arrival coincides with International Women's Day on Wednesday, March 8. The painting indicates an era when art celebrated women patriotically for the first time and is one of four portraits on display at Beningbrough Hall that have been selected by National Portrait Gallery director, Dr Nicholas Cullinan. They show a range of influential figures from British history and culture, including Beatrix Potter, Ted Hughes and David Beckham.

Rab MacGibbon, associate curator at the National Portrait Gallery said: “We are delighted to share these collection highlights with Beningbrough for the duration of the 2017 season. The display celebrates the fruitful partnership that exists between the National Portrait Gallery and the National Trust, with loans that span the history of the hall from the eighteenth century to the present day.”