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Portrait of Mary Wise
Thomas Gainsboroughc. 1774
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Mary’s modest and contemplative demeanor is a counterpoint to a rather elaborate ensemble consisting of a gown embroidered with gold flower sprigs, trimmed with lace and pearls, and tied with a gold sash, as well as a gold-striped veil and a bracelet with eight gold bands. Gainsborough’s compact oval format and the sitter’s informal pose lend this portrait an air of intimacy.
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Details
- Title: Portrait of Mary Wise
- Creator: Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727–1788)
- Date Created: c. 1774
- Physical Dimensions: Unframed: 76.2 x 63.6 cm (30 x 25 1/16 in.)
- Provenance: Mrs. Henry Christopher Wise (née Mary Wathen) [born 1751] by descent to her great-granddaughter, Catherine Waller, Catherine [1804-1861] and Sir Thomas Wathen Waller, 2nd Bt [1805-1892], by descent to their grandson, Sir Francis Grant Waller, Sir Francis Grant Waller, 4th Bt, sold to Agnew, (Agnew, London, sold to Duveen), (Duveen, through Romer Williams), (F. Kleinberger Galleries, New York, NY), (Duveen), Elizabeth Severance Prentiss Allen [1865-1944], Cleveland, OH, bequeathed by her to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1944.82
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Fun Fact: The portrait shows Mary in her twenties, with her hair powdered fashionably grey.
- Department: European Painting and Sculpture
- Culture: England, 18th century
- Credit Line: The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection
- Collection: P - British before 1800
- Accession Number: 1944.82
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