Elizabeth Shewell West and Her Son, Raphael
1770
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1770
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting shows a woman in a soft pink dress holding a baby on her lap. The baby wears a white gown and reaches toward her face. Benjamin West copied the pose from a famous Renaissance painting of Mary and Jesus. He even named his son Raphael after the artist. It’s a quiet way to honor both his family and the art he loved. To see the original that inspired it, look up the *subject: america, american* in Renaissance art.
