Artwork
Mrs. Comyns
Mrs. Comyns is an unspecified painting by John I Smart. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. John Smart's Mrs.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a formal portrait, the primary meaning of the work is to capture and preserve the likeness of this specific sitter during the mid-eighteenth century.
The work is a portrait depicting a woman, identified by its title as Mrs. Comyns. Painted by John Smart in 1760, the piece falls within the genre of portraiture, focusing on the representation of an individual subject. As a formal portrait, the primary meaning of the work is to capture and preserve the likeness of this specific sitter during the mid-eighteenth century.
The composition serves as a visual record of Mrs. Comyns, reflecting the conventions of personal commemoration characteristic of the era.
History & Provenance
Mrs. Comyns, a portrait painted by John Smart in 1760, entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, where it remains today. The work’s provenance prior to its acquisition by the Met is not documented in the available sources, and no record of a specific commission survives. Its creation is firmly dated to 1760 based on the artist’s inscription and the museum’s accession data.
The portrait depicts an unidentified woman, consistent with the genre of miniature portraiture practiced by Smart in the 1760s.
Mrs. Comyns is a portrait painted in 1760 by John Smart. The work belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is catalogued as part of the museum’s holdings of portraiture. Its accession number is not specified in the available records.
The painting has not been listed in major exhibition catalogues or travelling shows documented in the sources, and no specific exhibition history is recorded. Its genre is identified as a portrait, depicting a seated woman identified as Mrs. Comyns.
Overview
John Smart's Mrs. Comyns, created in 1760, exemplifies the refined miniature portraiture popular in 18th-century England. This intimate work, now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, showcases the artist's skill in capturing individual likeness within a small-scale format. Smart was a prominent figure among his contemporaries, known for his delicate approach to portraiture.
Technique & Style
Executed in the miniature tradition, this portrait is characterized by its small scale and meticulous detail. Smart employed soft shading, particularly around the subject's cheeks and forehead, to create a delicate sense of volume and form. The monochromatic or near-monochromatic palette contributes to the work's understated elegance, highlighting the precision of the artist's hand in rendering the facial features.
Context
Active during the latter half of the 18th century, John Smart was a significant English practitioner of miniature painting. He worked alongside other notable artists of the genre, such as Richard Cosway and George Engleheart. This period saw a demand for small, portable portraits, often exchanged as tokens of affection or remembrance, reflecting a broader cultural appreciation for personal mementos.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Smart (1 May 1741 – 1 May 1811) was an English painter who specialised in portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of Richard Cosway, George Engleheart, William Wood and Richard Crosse.
