Portrait of a Lady

Dated to 1772, this oil on canvas was attributed in the early twentieth century to Robert Feke and identified as a portrait of Ruth Cunningham. The recorded ownership chain begins with Rose M. de Forest of New York, who sold the work to collector Thomas B. Clarke on September 19, 1922. However, the provenance linking the sitter to Nathaniel Cunningham, supplied by de Forest, is considered suspect and unverified by scholars.

Following Clarke's death, his executors sold the painting to M. Knoedler & Co. The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust acquired the piece from Knoedler on January 29, 1936, as part of the larger Clarke collection. The Trust subsequently gifted the artwork to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1947, where it remains part of the Andrew W. Mellon collection.

The Portrait of a Lady is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was accessioned as a gift from the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust in 1947. Its official inventory number is 1947.17.48, categorizing it within the Andrew W. Mellon collection. Prior to entering the national collection, the work was acquired by the Trust on January 29, 1936, from M. Knoedler & Co. of New York, representing the executors of Thomas B. Clarke.

Clarke had originally purchased the piece on September 19, 1922, from Rose M. de Forest, who had previously owned it in New York. While the painting was once attributed to Robert Feke and identified as a portrait of Ruth Cunningham during the Clarke era, its current classification lists the artist as a British 18th-century figure. The work was included in a 1928 exhibition at the Clarke collection, as noted in an annotated catalogue.

This oil on canvas painting, titled Portrait of a Lady, depicts a woman seated within an opulent interior. Her composed expression and elaborate attire, rendered with meticulous detail, offer insight into the social customs and material culture of the period in which it was created. The work is housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

The unknown sitter is presented in a formal pose, adorned in luxurious garments that signify her social standing. Her serene countenance suggests a deliberate presentation, typical of portraiture intended to convey dignity and status. The richly appointed room further emphasizes the subject's environment, providing a visual record of contemporary domestic elegance and the refined lifestyle of the sitter.