Description
Given to the Cleveland Museum in 1920 by the collector Jeptha H. Wade, this painting was thought to be an authentic work by Joshua Reynolds. However, after considerable study, the museum attributed it to a follower of Reynolds working in a similar style around the same time. This portrait depicts the wife of the captain (and later admiral) George Collier. The artist draws an analogy between this woman and Lesbia, a married woman who provided much artistic inspiration for the Roman poet Catullus (c. 84–c. 54 BC). The poet's writings document a love affair with Lesbia, and one poem in particular documents the death of the woman's beloved pet sparrow. The viewer can barely see the sparrow in this painting, since it lies on a table partially obscured by her right elbow. The muted colors evoke a sense of melancholy as the woman mourns with her head turned away from the viewer.
Provenance
(possibly Mary Horneck Gwynn, sister in law of the sitter (1823); Sir William W. Knighton, Hampshire (1864, Christie's, London sale 21 May, 1885, no. 457; Mrs. Adelaide Ross; J. H. Wade, Cleveland (by 1913); Possib;y Mrs. George Collier, possibly by inheritance to her sister-in-law, Mary Horneck Gwynn,; Possibly Mary Horneck Gwynn; William Wellesley Knighton, 2nd Bt., 1836-1855 (London, England, and Blendworth Lodge, Hampshire, England), upon his death, held in trust by the estate; Estate of William Wellesley Knighton, sold, Christie's, London, May 21, 1885, lot 457; Mrs. Adelaide Ross (Stachelberg, New York); Jeptha Homer Wade, 1857-1926 (Cleveland, Ohio), by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1920.
Accession Number
1920.514
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 112 x 101 x 12 cm (44 1/8 x 39 3/4 x 4 3/4 in.); Unframed: 80 x 67.3 cm (31 1/2 x 26 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of J. H. Wade
Tags
Painting Baroque (1600–1750) Oil Painting Canvas British Color: Orange Color: Gold
Background & Context
Background Story
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was the first president of the Royal Academy and the most influential portrait painter of 18th-century England, known for the grand manner portraiture that combined the dignity of history painting with the intimacy of personal portraiture. Portrait of Mrs. George Collier depicts the sitter in the grand manner that Reynolds developed for his portraits—the combination of the dignity of history painting with the personal charm of portraiture that made him the most sought-after portrait painter in 18th-century England. Reynolds's grand manner transformed English portraiture from the straightforward recording of physiognomy to the expression of character and social rank.
Cultural Impact
Portrait of Mrs. George Collier is important in the history of English portraiture because it demonstrates the grand manner that Reynolds developed as the first president of the Royal Academy. Reynolds's transformation of English portraiture—from the straightforward recording of physiognomy to the expression of character and social rank through the grand manner—represents one of the most important developments in the history of English painting, and his influence on English portraiture would persist throughout the 18th century and beyond.
Why It Matters
Portrait of Mrs. George Collier is Reynolds's grand manner portraiture: the sitter rendered with the dignity of history painting combined with the personal charm of portraiture that made him the most influential portrait painter in 18th-century England. Reynolds's grand manner transformed English portraiture from physiognomy to the expression of character and social rank.
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