Mrs. Theodore Atkinson Jr. (Frances Deering Wentworth)
Mrs. Theodore Atkinson Jr. (Frances Deering Wentworth)
Artist
John Singleton Copley
(1738 - 1815)
Date1765
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions51 x 40 in. (129.5 x 101.6 cm)
Framed: 59 in. × 48 3/4 in. × 4 3/8 in.
Framed: 59 in. × 48 3/4 in. × 4 3/8 in.
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.24
Signedl.r., below the rim of table, in black paint: John S. Copley. pinx / 1765
Accession number
2005.24
On View
On viewLabel TextJohn Singleton Copley was the painter of choice for discerning Bostonians because he was a master at combining real and ideal elements to make a flattering portrait, the way we might use filters or Photoshop tools today.
Here, Copley painted specific facial features to convey Mrs. Atkinson’s likeness, but he added an imaginary silk gown, rich velvet drapery, and the view to the outdoors based on European portraiture conventions. These, combined with other symbols, such as the chained flying squirrel, communicated to eighteenth-century viewers that she was a fine lady of grace and discipline.
John Singleton Copley era el pintor elegido por los bostonianos exigentes, pues era un maestro de la combinación de elementos reales e ideales para hacer retratos favorables, de la misma manera que usaríamos filtros o herramientas de Photoshop hoy en día.
Aquí, Copley pintó los rasgos faciales característicos de la Sra. Atkinson, pero añadió un traje de seda imaginario, lujosas cortinas de terciopelo, y una vista panorámica según las convenciones europeas del arte del retrato. Estos, junto a otros símbolos, tales como la ardilla voladora encadenada, presentaba a la señora como una dama elegante de gracia y disciplina ante los ojos de los espectadores del siglo XVIII.
Inscribedverso, on top stretcher member, in pencil: Frances Deering Wentworth, daughter of Samuel Wentworth and Elizabeth Deering of Boston, Mass., was born Sept. 30, 1745. [some text now covered with paper tape] / Married first, May 14, 1762, her cousin, Theodore Atkinson, Jr., Secretary of the Province of New Hampshire, who died Oct. 28, 1769. Married second, Nov. 11, 1769, another cousin, John Wentworth, Governor of New Hampshire. In 1775 they went to England. He was created Baronet / and appointed Governor of Nova Scotia where he died. Lady Wentworth died in England 1813.
verso, on center stretcher member, in pencil: Lady Wentworth painted by J.S. Copley 1765
verso, on stretcher, in chalk: Lady W - J.S.C., New York Public Library, SL 2611.1
verso, on stretcher, exhibition labels: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
