Portrait of Mary Butler, Duchess of Devonshire

Mary Butler (1646-1710) was the second daughter of James Butler, 1st duke of Ormond and Elizabeth Preston. She married William Cavendish, 4th earl of Devonshire, on 26 October 1662. Her husband was elevated to the rank of duke in 1694, from which time Mary assumed the title of duchess of Devonshire. William Cavendish was a famous personality at the time, very much involved in affairs of State. He was a member of the Whig party and one of the defenders of the 1688 revolution that overthrew James II and put William of Orange on the throne. The duke, a "highly colourful" figure, is also known for having been a ladies' man. The couple lived partly at Chatsworth House, an estate owned by the earls of Devonshire, in Derbyshire.

The painting can be seen in a photograph of the great gallery at Kilkenny castle taken at the end of the 19th century. It is also mentioned in an inventory from the same period, which attributes it to William Wissing. At Jehay, it was hung in the small dining room where it occupied a central place.

William Wissing (1656-1687) was a Dutch painter who studied at The Hague with Willem Doudjins and Arnold Van Ravesteyn. He arrived in England in 1676 and worked, as an assistant, in the studio of Sir Peter Lely. His career took off after the death of Lely in 1680, and Wissing then became a major and renowned portraitist. He made numerous portraits of the royal family, such as that of Charles II or the one of queen Catherine of Braganza.