Arabella (Yarrington) Huntington

Maker Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley (British, 1880-1952)

SitterSitter: Arabella (Yarrington) Huntington (American, 1850s - 1924)

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1924

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 50 × 40 in. (127 × 101.6 cm.) frame: 62 3/4 × 52 × 6 3/4 in. (159.4 × 132.1 × 17.1 cm.)

DescriptionThis is a three-quarter portrait of Arabella Huntington, American art collector and philanthropist.

SignedSignature

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

On view

Label TextMost famous for his portraits of the British royal family, here Birley unflinchingly renders the stern expression, direct gaze, and strong, unidealized features of Arabella Huntington, founder, with her husband Henry, of the Huntington Art Museum. The portrait dates to the year of Arabella's death, at a time when she was not only one of the richest women in the world, but also among America's foremost art collectors. Shrouded entirely in black and seated before a nebulous backdrop, she reveals little of herself, presenting an impressive and enigmatic figure.

Bibliography

Excursions of Imagination

British paintings at the Huntington

Object number24.14