Artwork
Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Hester Jane Ogle, 1775/76–1817) and Her Son (Charles Brinsley Sheridan, 1796–1843)
Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Hester Jane Ogle, 1775/76–1817) and Her Son (Charles Brinsley Sheridan, 1796–1843) is an oil painting by the Neoclassicist artist John Hoppner. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By depicting the subjects together, the work underscores social status and the transmission of familial identity within the neoclassical aesthetic.
The painting portrays Hester Jane Ogle, wife of playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, with her son Charles Brinsley Sheridan, emphasizing the maternal relationship and familial continuity. The composition reflects late-18th-century British portrait conventions that valorized domestic virtue and lineage, presenting the mother as the guardian of heritage. By depicting the subjects together, the work underscores social status and the transmission of familial identity within the neoclassical aesthetic.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1798, this large-scale portrait by John Hoppner utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures approximately 238.1 cm in height and 149.9 cm in width, indicating a substantial physical presence typical of formal family commissions of the era. The composition formally depicts a woman and a boy, identified as a mother and her son.
The medium of oil on canvas allows for the detailed rendering of figures characteristic of Hoppner's approach to portraiture during the late eighteenth century.
History & Provenance
The portrait titled Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Hester Jane Ogle, 1775/76–1817) and Her Son (Charles Brinsley Sheridan, 1796–1843) was executed by John Hoppner in 1798 using oil on canvas. It measures 238.1 × 149.9 cm and portrays the mother, Hester Jane Ogle, with her son Charles Brinsley Sheridan. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view. Earlier ownership is not recorded in the available documentation.
Overview
John Hoppner's 1798 oil painting, Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Her Son, captures a tender moment between Hester Jane Ogle and her young child, Charles Brinsley Sheridan. This portrait, rendered in oil, is a notable example of late 18th-century British portraiture. It currently resides in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering insight into family life and artistic trends of the period.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Hoppner was an English painter, much influenced by Joshua Reynolds, who achieved fame as a colourist.
The Hoppner Children
The Sackville Children
Richard Humphreys, the Boxer
Mrs. John Garden (Ann Garden, 1769–1842) and Her Children, John (1796–1854) and Ann Margaret (born 1793)
Lady Cunliffe
Mrs. Richard Bache (Sarah Franklin, 1743–1808)
Major Thomas Pechell (1753–1826)
Mrs. Whaley (died 1798, Isle of Man)
