Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2018.

Miss Montagu

Artist Thomas Gainsborough (English, 1727 - 1788)

Dateca. 1774

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm)
Overall, Frame: 39 1/4 x 34 3/8 in. (99.7 x 87.3 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.528

Terms

Portrait
Woman
Brown
Black
White
Yellow
Red
Blue
Gray
Rococo

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. It depicts the youngest child and only daughter of Admiral John Montagu of Avisford. She is painted in three quarter profile, her gaze directed at the viewer. Neutral tones emphasize her delicate features.

Label TextThomas Gainsborough English, 1727–1788 Miss Montagu, ca. 1774 Oil on canvas Sophia Montagu, the only daughter of English Baronet John Montagu, poses in a chic costume of grey satin, gold fringe, and strings of pearls. The loose brushstrokes of the shimmering attire contrast with the precision Thomas Gainsborough used to paint her face. This formula was popular with British nobility, and it ensured a steady stream of aristocratic clients at the artist’s studio in the resort town of Bath. Portraitists in America learned how to give dignity and elegance to their sitters by studying the works of Gainsborough and his British contemporaries. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.528