Where can I see Christiana Stille Keen?

Christiana Stille Keen is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Christiana Stille Keen?

Christiana Stille Keen is associated with Academic Art.

Christiana Stille Keen by Matthew Pratt (ca. 1769)

About this work

A woman in a dark dress sits sideways, her face in sharp profile, a pink rose held near her chin and a few more on the table. Pratt painted her in Philadelphia in 1769, when most sitters faced the viewer head on. The quiet side view feels almost modern, and the rose hints at beauty that fades.

Subject & Meaning

5 cm, belongs to the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as part of the museum's early American portraiture collection.

The portrait titled Christiana Stille Keen, executed by Matthew Pratt in 1769, depicts a young woman seen in strict profile while holding a single flower. The profile pose, typical of Enlightenment-era portraiture, conveys composure and intellectual poise, while the flower functions as a conventional symbol of purity and the transience of beauty. The work, an oil on canvas measuring 76.2 cm by 63.5 cm, belongs to the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as part of the museum's early American portraiture collection. Its iconography links the sitter to ideals of virtuous femininity characteristic of the colonial elite.

Technique & Style

Executed in 1769, this portrait by Matthew Pratt is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 76.2 cm in height and 63.5 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition features a female subject rendered in profile, accompanied by floral elements.

The piece is classified as a genre portrait within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing. The application of oil paint on a woven canvas support reflects standard eighteenth-century portrait practices, though specific details regarding the artist's brushwork, surface condition, or framing are not provided in the available records.

History & Provenance

The work titled Christiana Stille Keen was painted by Matthew Pratt in 1769 using oil on canvas. Contemporary records indicate it portrays a woman in profile holding a flower. After its creation the painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on public view within the American Wing.

No documentation of a formal commission survives; however, the work is identified in museum catalogues as part of the museum's holdings and is catalogued under its accession records.

Overview

Matthew Pratt's oil on canvas portrait, Christiana Stille Keen, dates to approximately 1769. This work presents its subject in a distinctive profile view, a departure from common portrait conventions of the era. The sitter is depicted holding a pink rose, with additional blossoms arranged on a nearby surface, contributing to the work's contemplative atmosphere.

Context

Created around 1769 in Philadelphia, Christiana Stille Keen emerged during a period when the American colonies were still developing their distinct cultural identity. At this time, portraiture served as a primary means of documenting individuals and asserting social standing. Pratt's work reflects the artistic environment of a nascent nation, where European influences blended with emerging local sensibilities, contributing to the evolving visual culture of colonial America.