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
Technique & Style
Created in 1820, this work is classified as a portrait miniature, a genre defined by its small scale and detailed execution.
Created in 1820, this work is classified as a portrait miniature, a genre defined by its small scale and detailed execution. The piece is attributed to the American artist Anna Claypoole Peale, who was active in the early nineteenth century. As a miniature, the work likely employs water-based pigments on a specialized support such as ivory, a standard medium for the format, though specific material details beyond the classification are not provided in the available records. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Portrait of a Woman is recorded as a portrait miniature dated 1820 and held in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is listed under accession 2008.229. Internal cataloging describes the work as a painting with an unknown creator, while external documentation attributes it to the American miniature painter Anna Claypoole Peale (1791–1878). The piece is classified as a portrait and entered the museum’s collection in 2008.
Context
The painting titled Portrait of a Woman, dated 1820, is recorded as a portrait miniature in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection. Contemporary scholarship, reflecting the museum’s cataloguing, attributes the work to Anna Claypoole Peale, an American miniaturist active in the early decades of the nineteenth century, situating the piece within the early American portrait tradition. Its classification as a portrait underscores the genre’s prominence in the period, while the attribution contributes to understanding Peale’s oeuvre and the development of miniature portraiture in the United States.
Overview
This painting, titled Portrait of a Woman, presents a subject with dark hair meticulously styled away from her face. Rendered in an oval format, the composition emphasizes her head and shoulders. She is depicted wearing a high-necked dress in muted white and gray tones, accented by a ruffled collar in a deeper shade of purple-gray. A plain black background ensures the viewer's attention remains solely on the sitter's features and attire.
Artist & collection
