Artwork
Holy Eyes
Holy Eyes is a watercolor painting by the British Romanticist artist Thomas Story Officer. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
The artist painted it in 1848, when miniatures like this were how people carried loved ones’ faces before photos.
A woman looks straight at you, her dark eyes sharp under arched brows. She wears a simple white collar and a dark dress, her hair pulled back tight.
This tiny painting is watercolor on ivory, small enough to hold in your hand. It was meant to be worn as a locket or kept in a case. The artist painted it in 1848, when miniatures like this were how people carried loved ones’ faces before photos.
To see more small portraits like this, look up the subject women.
Subject & Meaning
Holy Eyes is a portrait that depicts a woman. Executed in the genre of portraiture, the work focuses on the female subject as its central iconographic element. While the title suggests a potential emphasis on the spiritual or expressive quality of the sitter's gaze, the available specifics regarding the work's meaning and symbolism are confined to its representation of a woman.
Technique & Style
The work is a miniature portrait painted in watercolor on ivory in 1848 by Thomas Story Officer.
The support is a small ivory plaque measuring 13.3 cm in width and 19.4 cm in height. The medium of watercolor is applied with fine, controlled handling characteristic of portrait miniatures of the period. Stylistically, the portrait emphasizes delicate facial features and restrained detail, aligning with the conventions of early Victorian portrait miniatures intended for intimate display.
History & Provenance
Holy Eyes is a watercolor portrait on ivory executed by the American artist Thomas Story Officer in 1848. The work depicts an unidentified woman and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under the American Wing. While the specific circumstances of its commission and its early ownership history prior to entering the museum's holdings are not detailed in the available records, the piece is firmly dated to the mid-19th century based on institutional documentation.
Overview
Thomas Story Officer’s 1848 miniature, titled Holy Eyes, is a watercolor rendered on a thin ivory substrate. The work measures only a few inches, making it suitable for personal adornment such as a locket or a small display case. Its intimate scale reflects the 19th‑century practice of preserving likenesses before the advent of photography.
Artist & collection
- Rebecca Wetherill
Mrs. Manigault Heyward (Susan Hayne Simmons)
Portrait of a Lady
Portrait of a woman
Portrait of a Lady
Mrs. Rufus Prime (Augusta Temple Palmer, 1807–1840)
Portrait of Ane Elisabeth (Elise) Gurlitt, né Saxild (1817-39)
Sarah Ann Beck
Mrs. John Wood Dodge (Mary Louise Dodge)
Mrs. Stephen Van Rensselaer III (Cornelia Paterson)
Selbstbildnis
Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlet Gregory)
