England / c. 1772
The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire as painting (England · c. 1772).
This is an idealized, not actual, room showing the sitters’ fashionable interior decorating aspirations.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Johann Zoffany (German, 1733–1810).
The museum's collection notes: This type of picture, known as a conversation piece, was invented in England in the 1700s and popular for the informal way it represented families. A father and daughter, mother and son, are strategizing over the next hand in a game of cards. The family recently lost a loved one, so the parents are dressed in full mourning (black clothing), and the siblings in lesser mourning (mauve, white, and gray).
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, GloucestershireOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.