Who painted Agnes Sewell?

Agnes Sewell was painted by Thomas Hazlehurst in 1800-01-01.

Where can I see Agnes Sewell?

Agnes Sewell is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Agnes Sewell?

Agnes Sewell is associated with Realism.

Agnes Sewell by Thomas Hazlehurst (1800) · Meaning & Museum

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The portrait represents the conventions of early nineteenth-century British miniature painting, where likeness and propriety were paramount.

Agnes Sewell is a portrait miniature depicting a woman, executed in 1800 by Thomas Hazlehurst on ivory. The work belongs to the portrait genre, a common category for Hazlehurst, who produced miniatures of British sitters during this period. As a portrait miniature, the work likely served a personal, commemorative function, such miniatures were typically intimate keepsakes exchanged among family members or close associates.

The depiction of a named female sitter in this format suggests an emphasis on individual identity and social standing. While specific symbolic elements or allegorical content are not documented in the available sources, the choice of ivory as a support and the refined scale (75 × 60 mm) indicate the work's status as a luxury object. The portrait represents the conventions of early nineteenth-century British miniature painting, where likeness and propriety were paramount.

Technique & Style

Agnes Sewell is a small‑scale portrait painted in 1800 on an ivory support, classified as a painting and a portrait miniature. The work was executed by Thomas Hazlehurst, a British artist active in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, using pigments applied in the fine, detailed manner characteristic of miniature portraiture. The ivory panel, measuring approximately 75 mm in height and 60 mm in width, retains its original surface and pigment integrity, contributing to the realistic rendering of the sitter’s features.

The piece is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and is presented as a framed work within the museum’s galleries.

Context

Thomas Hazlehurst, a British miniaturist active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, specialized in ivory portrait miniatures that combined fine brushwork with a restrained palette. The 1800 portrait of an unidentified woman, measuring 75 × 60 mm, exemplifies this tradition through its delicate modeling and attention to facial detail. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, the work illustrates the prominence of portrait miniatures in British visual culture during the Georgian era and provides a benchmark for scholarly studies of Hazlehurst’s technique and the broader genre of miniature portraiture.

Overview

This miniature portrait, titled Agnes Sewell, was created by Thomas Hazlehurst in 1800. Executed on ivory, it depicts a woman named Agnes Sewell. The small-scale work is part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering a glimpse into early 19th-century portraiture.