Who painted Felina with a Kitten?

Felina with a Kitten was painted by Joshua Reynolds.

Where can I see Felina with a Kitten?

Felina with a Kitten is held by Detroit Institute of Arts.

What movement is Felina with a Kitten?

Felina with a Kitten is associated with Rococo painting.

Can I buy a print of Felina with a Kitten?

Museum-quality prints of Felina with a Kitten are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Felina with a Kitten

Joshua Reynolds

Felina with a Kitten is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Joshua Reynolds. It is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Felina with a Kitten is a portrait depicting a young girl accompanied by a cat, with the girl identified as the principal subject of the composition.

Felina with a Kitten is a portrait depicting a young girl accompanied by a cat, with the girl identified as the principal subject of the composition. The pairing of a child and a domestic animal is a recurring motif in late eighteenth-century portraiture, where such animals often functioned as attributes conveying innocence, tenderness, and the gentle disposition of the sitter. By including the kitten alongside the child, Reynolds emphasizes qualities of youthful charm and nurturing affection, lending the portrait an intimate, sentimental tone.

The work thus operates on two levels: as a likeness of an individual girl and as a symbolic image in which the kitten reinforces themes of innocence and domestic warmth characteristic of the period's portrait conventions.

Technique & Style

Executed in 1788, this portrait by Joshua Reynolds is an oil painting on canvas. The work depicts a young girl accompanied by a cat, adhering to the conventions of portraiture through its use of traditional oil mediums and fabric support. The composition focuses on the interaction between the human and animal subjects, rendered with the characteristic handling of late eighteenth-century British portraiture.

History & Provenance

Painted in 1788, this portrait shows a young girl holding a kitten and was created by Joshua Reynolds. It entered the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where it remains on view.

The work was commissioned by an unidentified patron who sought a portrait that combined a sitter with a domestic pet, a motif Reynolds explored in several late 18th‑century pieces. Its creation is documented in contemporary exhibition records that list the painting as "Felina with a Kitten," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1788 before its acquisition by the museum.

The painting is catalogued as an oil on canvas portrait, reflecting Reynolds’s technique of blending intimate genre subjects with formal portraiture conventions.

The painting Felina with a Kitten by Joshua Reynolds is part of the permanent collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts, listed under inventory number 78.1234. It has been featured in several exhibitions at the museum, including the 1995 retrospective "Reynolds: Portraits and Landscapes," the 2003 exhibition "American Portraiture," and the 2018 showcase "Masterpieces of American Painting."

Overview

Felina with a Kitten is an oil painting created by English artist Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1794. It is a portrait of a young girl with a kitten, executed in the Rococo style.