Artwork
Girl Building a House of Cards
Girl Building a House of Cards is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Thomas Frye. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This oil painting portrays a young girl meticulously engaged in building a house of cards.
About this work
Technique & Style
Stylistically classified as a portrait, the composition depicts a young girl wearing a cap while seated at a table engaged in constructing a house of cards.
Attributed to Thomas Frye and dated to 1800, this work is an oil painting executed on canvas. The piece measures 76.5 cm in height by 64.1 cm in width. Stylistically classified as a portrait, the composition depicts a young girl wearing a cap while seated at a table engaged in constructing a house of cards.
The medium of oil paint allows for the detailed rendering of the subject and the specific props, including the playing cards, which define the narrative action of the scene. The work is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Girl Building a House of Cards is attributed to the English artist Thomas Frye and dated to circa 1800, as indicated by the work’s inception year and stylistic assessment. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains housed, establishing its most recent ownership link. No documentary evidence of a specific commission appears in the cited sources, and the provenance prior to the Met’s acquisition is not detailed in the available records.
Consequently, the creation history is limited to Frye’s authorship and the early‑19th‑century execution, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art serving as the known custodian of the work.
Overview
This oil painting portrays a young girl meticulously engaged in building a house of cards. Seated at a wooden table, she wears a light dress and a lace cap, her gaze directed outward toward the viewer. The artist employs a dark background, which serves to highlight the figure and her activity, emphasizing the delicate nature of her task and the subtle illumination of her attire and the tabletop.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure's calm expression and direct eye contact invite contemplation of her focused activity. She handles a small white box and cards, suggesting a historical children's game or a popular pastime. This depiction captures a moment of quiet concentration, symbolizing the ephemeral nature of childhood endeavors and the careful balance required in such a fragile construction.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Frye (c. 1710 – 3 April 1762) was an Anglo-Irish artist, best known for his portraits in oil and pastel, including some miniatures and his early mezzotint engravings. He was also the patentee of the Bow porcelain…
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