Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital slr-2010.

Ideal Portrait

Artist Harriet Cany Peale (American, ca. 1800-1869)

CultureAmerican

Dateca. 1843-48

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 25 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. (64.1 x 76.8 cm)
Overall, Frame: 31 1/4 x 36 1/4 in. (79.4 x 92.1 cm)

InscribedSigned lower right, on chair back: H. C. Peale

Credit LineGift of Mr. Edward J. Brickhouse

Object number64.51.3

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 211

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting of a woman in an oval frame. Her expression is poised and calm. Her low neckline reveals the creamy white skin of her neck and shoulders. She is dressed in rich fabrics: she wears a red velvet dress and a red silk turban with gold thread. Wavy brown hair gently frames her face. Her eyes are dark and gaze directly at the viewer. Her pose is relaxed as her chin rests on clasped fingers and she leans over a stuffed green velvet pillow, possibly on the back of a chair. The artist was the wife of Rembrandt Peale, and this painting is a copy after his painting _Odalisque_, which is unlocated.

Label TextHarriet Cany Peale American, ca. 1800–1869 Ideal Portrait, ca. 1843–48 Oil on canvas Luxurious velvet fabrics and a turban transform this portrait into an exotic fantasy of life in the Middle East, with the young model posed as a courtesan from the harem of a sultan or prince. Painter Harriet Peale studied art under her husband, Philadelphia artist Rembrandt Peale, and this imaginative picture is a copy of one of his most esteemed works. In addition to such collaborations, Harriet Peale also exhibited original compositions. Perhaps this elegant dreamer reflects the artist’s creative spirit. Gift of Edward J. Brickhouse 64.51.3 ProvenanceAuslew Gallery, Norfolk, Va.; Edward J. Brickhouse, Norfolk, Va., 1964; Gift of Mr. Edward J. Brickhouse to Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1964; transferred from Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences to The Chrysler Museum, 1971. Exhibition History"The Peale Family: Three Generations of American Artists," Detroit Institute of Arts, Mich., January 18 - March 5, 1967; Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, N.Y., March 26 - May 7, 1967, no. 212. "Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum," Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, Va., March 1 - July 4, 1976. "Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010. "American Treasures at the Willoughby-Baylor House," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, January 2 - December 1, 2013. Published ReferencesCharles H. Elam, _The Peale Family: Three Generations of American Artists_, exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts, Mich., 1967, no. 212. Dennis R. Anderson, _Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum_, exh. cat., Norfolk, Va., 1975, 86. Martha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 45, no. 20. ISBN: 0-940744-71-6