Early Portrait of a Woman with a Bowl of Cherries
Maker
Unknown, American
Collections
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Dateca. 1770-1780
Mediumoil on panel
Dimensionsframe: 28 x 23 x 2 1/2 in. (71.1 x 58.4 x 6.4 cm.)
DescriptionVertical three quarter length portrait of the woman in black dress with white lace collar and blue bow; she raises a bunch of cherries in her left hand with the red bowl on an table top center foreground; American school.
Credit LineJonathan and Karin Fielding Collection
Label TextThe cherries, associated with fertility, suggest that this is a marriage portrait, and the elegant lace-trimmed dress reinforces the matrimonial associations. This work bears a strong resemblance to the portraits of Dutch landowners, known as patroons, who colonized the Hudson River Valley. The background's lively repeated arc pattern is distinctive but perplexing: is it a hilly landscape, wallpaper in a dark interior, or something else?Status
On viewObject numberL2015.41.172
