Portrait of a Woman, traditionally identified as Margaret Stuart, Lady Hippisley
Date:
1785
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
29 1/2 x 25 inches (74.9 x 63.5 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.37
Gallery Label:
This is one of Pompeo Batoni’s most engaging female portraits, painted at the end of his career. The identity of the sitter has long since been lost, although she was evidently in Rome in 1785. The composition and pointed gaze suggest that this portrait was once accompanied by a companion painting, perhaps a portrait of her husband. Although her clothes and hair reflect the very latest fashions, Batoni has given her a veil and pose reminiscent of ancient Roman sculptures of the Vestal Virgins, a subtle allusion to the virtue of chastity. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
