Artwork
Portrait of the Ladies Amabel and Mary Jemima Yorke
Portrait of the Ladies Amabel and Mary Jemima Yorke is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Joshua Reynolds. It dates from 1761 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
As an oil-on-canvas painting, the medium allows for the layered handling and rich tonal transitions typical of mid-18th-century British portraiture.
Created in 1761 by Joshua Reynolds, the Portrait of the Ladies Amabel and Mary Jemima Yorke is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 196.0 cm in height and 170.0 cm in width, presenting a full-length depiction of the two sisters in the grand manner characteristic of Reynolds' portraiture. As an oil-on-canvas painting, the medium allows for the layered handling and rich tonal transitions typical of mid-18th-century British portraiture.
The composition focuses on the figures of Amabel Hume-Campbell and Mary Jemima Yorke, rendered with the formal dignity expected of aristocratic subjects in England during this period. The painting remains a significant example of Reynolds' technique in capturing both likeness and social status through the manipulation of oil pigments on a large-scale canvas.
History & Provenance
Created in 1761 by Joshua Reynolds, the oil-on-canvas painting Portrait of the Ladies Amabel and Mary Jemima Yorke depicts the sisters Amabel Hume-Campbell and Mary Jemima Yorke. The work was executed in England during the early 1760s, capturing the subjects in a formal group portrait style characteristic of Reynolds' output from that period. While the specific commissioning details and initial ownership are not detailed in the available records, the painting's creation date is firmly established as 1761.
The artwork measures 196 cm in height and 170 cm in width. It is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 1942.645.
The painting is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, located in Cleveland. It is cataloged under the accession number 1942.645. The available records confirm its presence in this institution but do not provide specific details regarding its exhibition history or prior inventory numbers at other locations.
Context
Portrait of the Ladies Amabel and Mary Jemima Yorke, painted in 1761 by Joshua Reynolds, exemplifies mid‑eighteenth‑century British portraiture through its full‑length oil on canvas format and the refined treatment of aristocratic sitters. The work, housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, depicts Amabel Hume‑Campbell, 1st Countess de Grey, and her sister Mary Jemima Yorke, linking the subjects to prominent English noble families. Its dimensions of 196 × 170 cm and classification as a portrait reflect the scale and genre conventions of Reynolds’s practice, situating the piece within the broader trajectory of his portraiture that blended Grand Manner elegance with emerging Rococo sensibilities.
Overview
Sir Joshua Reynolds, a prominent English painter of the 18th century, completed this oil portrait in 1761. Titled Portrait of the Ladies Amabel and Mary Jemima Yorke, the work depicts two aristocratic sisters, Amabel Hume-Campbell, 1st Countess de Grey, and Mary Jemima Yorke, Baroness Grantham. This Rococo-era painting is now part of the collection at The Cleveland Museum of Art. Reynolds was known for his "Grand Style" of idealized representation.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents the two sisters in an outdoor setting, positioned near a stone wall. The elder, Amabel, stands on the left, holding a bird and a fan, her expression composed and serene. Her younger sister, Mary Jemima, is depicted on the right with curly hair and a playful stance, a small dog at her feet. Their distinct poses and attributes subtly convey aspects of their individual personalities and social standing.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits.
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