The Hon. Theresa Parker, later the Hon. Theresa Villiers

Maker Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723-1792)

SitterSitter: Hon. Theresa Parker, later Hon. Theresa Villiers (British, 1775 - 1856)

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1787

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 30 × 25 in. (76.2 × 63.5 cm.) frame: 41 × 36 1/4 × 4 3/8 in. (104.1 × 92.1 × 11.1 cm.)

DescriptionAs a child, standing nearly half-length, profile right, her bare right forearm seen. Short face, with tiptilted nose, light-brown hair in curls round the neck and with a square fringe. She wears a high mobcap of spotted muslin trimmed with quilled white ribbon, and a low-ribbon are pink. Background of blue, clouded sky and landscape with threes.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

Not on view

Label TextIn this portrait, Reynolds depicts Theresa Parker in a remarkably direct, matter-of-fact manner. He paints her fashionable clothing with uncharacteristic specificity. The impression of truthful, unmediated observation carries through to the unconventional presentation of the sitter, with not only the head but also the body in severe profile. This mode of presentation demystifies the girl rather than romanticizing her, laying out her features with stark clarity.

Bibliography

British paintings at the Huntington

Object number26.85