Artwork
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1820 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
The painting depicts a woman with curly, dark hair, adorned with a headscarf featuring a blue and white pattern.
The painting depicts a woman with curly, dark hair, adorned with a headscarf featuring a blue and white pattern. She wears a blue dress with a brown, fuzzy trim and a matching belt. Her right hand rests on her lap, while her left arm is bent, with her hand positioned near her waist. The background of the painting is a muted gray color.
The woman's attire and hairstyle suggest that the painting was created during the early 19th century. The artist's use of muted colors adds a sense of subtlety to the portrait.
To learn more about the techniques used in this painting, explore the concept of chiaroscuro.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts an unidentified woman, presented in the format of a portrait miniature. Created by an unknown artist around 1820, the piece functions as a personal likeness rather than a narrative scene containing specific symbolic elements or iconographic programs. As a standard portrait of its era, the primary meaning lies in the documentation of the sitter's appearance and social presence.
The Cleveland Museum of Art holds the object, which serves as a representative example of early nineteenth-century miniature portraiture without additional allegorical attributes described in available records.
Technique & Style
The work is a portrait miniature painted in 1820 by an unknown artist. As a miniature, it was executed on a small scale, a format that typically demanded fine, meticulous brushwork and precise detail. The Cleveland Museum of Art holds the piece in its collection.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a Woman is an unsigned portrait miniature painted circa 1820. The work is attributed to an unknown artist and is classified as both a painting and a portrait. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the identifier 1962.428 and described as a miniature.
The museum records its inception as 1820‑01‑01, confirming the dating. No documentation of a specific commission or subsequent ownership transfers is provided in the available sources, so the provenance is limited to its current institutional holding.
Overview
This painting, titled "Portrait of a Woman," captures an individual from the early 19th century. The subject, an unidentified woman, is depicted with dark, curly hair and distinctive attire. The artist employs a palette of muted colors, contributing to the work's subtle aesthetic.
Her pose and dress offer insights into the fashion and social conventions of the period, presenting a quiet yet engaging depiction of an individual.
Artist & collection
- Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman in a Brown Dress
Portrait of a Woman in a Brown Dress
Catharina Charlotta Bågh (1777-1816), gift med friherre Pehr Erik Skjöldebrand
Portrait of a Lady
Portrait of a woman with a veil
Portrait of Wiktoria née Potocka 1.v. Choiseul Gouffier 2.v. wife of general Bakhmatiev
Портрет Д.С. Яковлевой
Portrait de Claire Élisabeth de Vergennes, Comtesse de Rémusat
Portrait of Mme de Staël
Portrait of a woman