Artwork
Mrs. Fox
Mrs. Fox is a watercolor painting by the American Folk Art artist Benjamin Trott. It dates from 1805 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Brushwork is fine and controlled, producing a muted tonal range that emphasizes the sitter's quiet dignity.
The portrait Mrs. Fox (1805) is executed in watercolor on a thin ivory support, a medium documented in the work's catalog entry and confirmed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection data. Brushwork is fine and controlled, producing a muted tonal range that emphasizes the sitter's quiet dignity. Formal qualities include a restrained composition, precise rendering of facial features, and a subtle use of line that reflects early American neoclassical portrait conventions. The work measures 7.1 by 5.6 centimeters.
History & Provenance
Mrs. Fox is an 1805 watercolor on ivory portrait by American artist Benjamin Trott, a portrait miniature in the American Wing. Trott painted the work as a likeness for an unidentified patron; no documentation of a formal commission survives. The painting is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Its dimensions are 7.1 × 5.6 centimeters, and it is recorded in both the museum's catalogue and Wikidata as a portrait by Trott.
Overview
Benjamin Trott, an American artist, created Mrs. Fox around 1805. This small-scale portrait, rendered in watercolor on ivory, exemplifies the popular genre of miniatures during the early 19th century. The work depicts a woman seated, with a small dog nestled in her lap, and is housed within the American Wing collection.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, Mrs. Fox, is depicted in a white dress, seated sideways with her dark hair styled high. A small dog peeks from her lap, and sunlight illuminates her face, lending a gentle warmth to the scene. Such miniatures served as cherished personal keepsakes, often carried by individuals in lockets or on journeys, providing a portable memento of loved ones.
Artist & collection
Artist
Benjamin Trott (c. 1770, in Boston – 27 November 1843, in Baltimore) was an American painter who specialized in portrait miniatures.
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