Artwork
Woman Holding a Rose
Woman Holding a Rose is a watercolor drawing by the Romanticist artist American 19th Century. It dates from 1809 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The work presents a profile view of a woman rendered in watercolor, framed by an oval composition.
About this work
Overview
She is depicted with dark hair gathered in a bun, wearing a deep‑blue dress accented by a white ruffled collar and large hoop earrings.
The work presents a profile view of a woman rendered in watercolor, framed by an oval composition. She is depicted with dark hair gathered in a bun, wearing a deep‑blue dress accented by a white ruffled collar and large hoop earrings. In her right hand she holds a single rose, while her left arm rests against a darkened surface. The image is bordered by a cut‑paper strip decorated with stylized flowers and foliage in vivid yellows, oranges, reds and greens.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure appears as a modest portrait, her pose and the rose suggesting themes of femininity and perhaps courtship or remembrance. The contrast between the subdued attire and the lively border may emphasize a separation between the interior, private self and the decorative, external world.
Technique & Style
Watercolor provides the delicate tonal shifts of the woman's skin and garment, while the surrounding border is executed in cut paper, a technique that adds a tactile, layered quality. The bright, flattened colors of the floral motif are characteristic of decorative arts influences, creating a visual dialogue between the soft wash of the figure and the graphic border.
Context
The combination of watercolor portraiture with a decorative paper border reflects a 19th‑century interest in mixed media and the integration of fine and applied arts. Such works were often produced for intimate domestic settings, serving both as personal likenesses and as ornamental objects.
Artist & collection
Artist
This artist painted everyday American life in the 1800s. Look at *Farmhouse in Mahantango Valley*—a quiet, sunlit scene of rural Pennsylvania. *Boy and Girl* shows two children standing close, their faces turned toward…
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H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection
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H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection
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