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Miss Montagu

Thomas Gainsboroughcirca 1774

Chrysler Museum of Art

Chrysler Museum of Art
Norfolk, United States

Sophia Montagu, the only daughter of English Baronet John Montagu, poses in a chic costume of grey satin, gold fringe, and strings of pearls. The loose brushstrokes of the shimmering attire contrast with the precision Thomas Gainsborough used to paint her face. This formula was popular with British nobility, and it ensured a steady stream of aristocratic clients at the artist’s studio in the resort town of Bath. Portraitists in America learned how to give dignity and elegance to their sitters by studying the works of Gainsborough and his British contemporaries.

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  • Title: Miss Montagu
  • Creator: Thomas Gainsborough
  • Creator Lifespan: 1727/1788
  • Creator Nationality: English
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: London, United Kingdom
  • Creator Birth Place: Sudbury, United Kingdom
  • Date Created: circa 1774
  • Location Created: Bath, United Kingdom
  • Provenance: The Montagu family, Avisford near Arundel, England; Thomas Agnews and Sons, London, 1907; Mrs. Emily Vanderbilt White, New York; Knoedler Art Galleries, New York, 1947; Howard Young Galleries, New York, 1948; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, 1971.
  • Credit Line: Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
  • Type: Painting
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
Chrysler Museum of Art

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