Sir Gerald Festus Kelly, K.C.V.O, P.R.A., R.H.A. (1879-1972)

During the 1930s, Kelly painted a series of portraits of Gillian John, the model believed to have been his mistress. The present work appears to be a variant of Golly II, which shows a more self-assured Gillian in a similar pose but with her chin raised and her head tilting slightly back and with the hand in the foreground pressed to her hip rather than resting on the floor.