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Portrait of a Woman
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This sitter has curly hair falling around her neck and into which are woven two pearl ornaments. She wears a plain, low-neck white dress. Usually made of lightweight cotton muslin and high-waisted, this type of dress became popular at the end of the eighteenth century and was intended to refer to classical antiquity. Similar garments are worn by many of the female sitters depicted by Andrew Plimer during this period. The background is a blue-gray sky with prominent gray crosshatching. This miniature is an accomplished example of Plimer’s work, with the sitter’s features soft but individualized and not given over to the doll-like caricature that appears in the artist’s other portraits of this date. The work is unsigned, as was typical for Plimer at this time.
| Artist / Maker | Andrew Plimer |
|---|---|
| Date | 1790s |
| Culture / Origin | England, 18th century |
| Medium | watercolor on ivory in a period gold frame |
| Dimensions | Framed: 8.4 x 6.8 cm (3 5/16 x 2 11/16 in.); Sight: 7.1 x 6 cm (2 13/16 x 2 3/8 in.) |
| Department | European Painting and Sculpture |
| Type | Portrait Miniature |
About the Artist
Born the sons of a clockmaker, Nathaniel Plimer and his younger brother Andrew initially trained in their father's profession, although they grew restless with this trade, and ran off to live with Gypsies for two years. By 1781, they were together in London, and determined to practice art. Both took up residence with established artists. Nathaniel worked as a servant to the enamellist, Henry Bone, whereas Andrew became the valet to the portrait and miniature painter, Richard Cosway. Cosway discovered… Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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